(Eagle News) — The Palace on Tuesday, Dec. 10, hit a United States judge grant of asylum to a Filipino couple who claimed they might suffer political persecution if they are sent back to the Philippines because they were Duterte critics.
The asylum to Rene Flores and his wife joy, who had been staying in the US since 2000, was granted by a San Francisco immigration judge last week.
“The Palace finds it amusing that an immigration judge from San Francisco, USA, granted political asylum in favor of the Flores couple. We have never heard of Rene and Joy Flores being political activists in the Philippines,” Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a statement.
According to Panelo, the couple merely opted for “an easy way out” since they overstayed.
“The ignorant granting of the judge of their application would therefore set a dangerous precedent to other illegal aliens who can abusively use politics as a scapegoat in violating immigration laws of the United States,” Panelo said.
“Their being critics have absolutely nothing to with their criminal prosecution. They can not hide behind the mantle of the freedom of the press and of speech when they are found violating the laws of the land,” Panelo added.
