Just last week California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta sued the Trump administration for allegedly stripping California of hundreds of millions of dollars in federal security and disaster relief funding based on their unwillingness to aid in federal immigration enforcement.
Bonta said in a statement. “President Trump doesn’t like that we won’t be bullied into doing his bidding, ignoring our sovereign right to make decisions about how our law enforcement resources are best used to protect our communities.” As of October 7, 2025, AG Bonta has filed 39 lawsuits against President Donald Trump’s second administration and had multiple victories.
Whether we are Republican or Democrat, this is a historical moment for our Filipino American community, to see a Filipino American AG representing close to 40 million Californians and by extension due to the subject matter could impact the entire nation. Furthermore, his arguing against capitulating to Trump’s vitriolic and cruel immigration policy, in essence, is defending our immigrant community, Filipinos included. This is something for Filipinos, both immigrant and non-immigrant alike, can be very proud of.
AG Bonta, an immigrant from the Philippines, who graduated from Yale Law School, in many ways represent the hard work, grit, perseverance and fighting spirit that many in our Filipino community possess. There are countless of Filipino Americans in various industries who’ve achieved well beyond the American dream – Filipinos who’ve helped to shape the nation’s culture, economy and social fabric.
There are too many Filipino individual pioneers and present personalities to mention, but for younger Filipino Americans in Hawaii, it’s worth recognizing here Ben Cayetano, another feisty and smart attorney, who became governor of Hawaii and the first and only governor in the U.S. of Filipino ancestry. As we celebrate Filipino American History month this October, we encourage our younger generation to research on Cayetano and other trailblazing Filipinos for their impact in moving forward our community.
Historical moments
Like the limitless number of Filipinos to recognize this Filipino American History month that cannot be abbreviated in one editorial, we can only highlight a few historical moments that occurred in our community.
*Clearly the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 must be mentioned as the most transformative piece of legislation which led to the dramatic increase and diversity of our Filipino population. Prior to the enactment of this law, the Filipino community was mostly comprised of plantation and farm laborers (some transient on their way back to the homeland) and Filipinos in the military. Not only did the Act abolish quotas on Filipinos but it also made possible for Family Reunification immigration which became the legal tool for much of Filipino immigration into the U.S.
For those Gen X Filipinos (those born between 1965 and 1980), we vividly recall living out this expansion. Our parents – professionals or beneficiaries of Family Reunification – migrated to the U.S. in the late 1960s and 1970s. We were second generation naturalized citizens or natural-born citizens old enough to live among those earlier Filipino plantation workers the sakadas and U.S. military who’ve settled in the country alongside our newly minted immigrant parents. Late millennials and Gen Z did not have the opportunity to know the hardworking and brave tatas and nanas who arrived in the U.S. to do back-breaking hard labor. It’s a good time this month to learn about the waves of Filipino migration.
Another significant moment in Filipino American history is the Delano Grape Strike of the 1960s when Filipino farmworkers such as Larry Itliong and Philip Vera Cruz teamed up with the newly formed United Farm Workers to fight for better wages and working conditions. The strike became a template for American labor in history. American unions followed this template of nonviolence tactics like consumer boycotts, community organizing and marches to win economic justice. Filipino Americans were the leaders of this workers movement. Unfortunately, Larry Itliong is only now being recognized for his leadership that Filipino American historians and his then fellow strikers have been working to get his role in the strike better known. This is only one reason why Filipino American History month is important – to get history straight and to recognize our people’s contributions to American society.
This last historical event relating to our community is not one commonly referenced but needs greater recognition – the sacrifice and heroic role Filipino nurses had during the peak of COVID-19. A 2023 Berkely Interdisciplinary Migration Initiative study found that Filipino nurses make up only 4.5% of the workforce, yet they accounted for 31.5% of nurse deaths from COVID-19 in late 2020. Filipino nurses were key players in stopping the spread of the pandemic and caring for COVID-19 patients.
Challenges we face
While our Filipino community has made great strides, we must keep chasing down progress and work together as a cohesive community. We have socioeconomic challenges. While Filipinos attain higher levels of education and income above the national average, with regard to average household income, that could be misleading due to our ohana living situation.
Filipinos still face workplace discrimination and underrepresentation. We have identity issues among the younger generation. Our community is still misrepresented. There’s an ongoing effort to ensure that Filipino American experiences are recognized and accurately portrayed in the mainstream narrative. We face cultural prejudice, English-accent prejudice. Immigration backlog is a problem under Trump and Family Reunification is at risk. Also at risk are undocumented Filipinos going through the process of attaining legal status but instead are arrested, detained and deported without due process.
Let’s continue to work together. Filipino Americans have a lot to celebrate and be proud of. Happy Filipino American History month to all!
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