Tag Archives: Philippines

News Nation: Mexican immigrants more likely to remain behind bars after arrest, data shows

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Mexican nationals are more likely to be detained after being apprehended by federal immigration officers, according to data compiled by Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse.

TRAC figures show that in July, 57 percent of Mexican nationals arrested for crossing the border or for being in the country illegally were held in detention centers while their proceedings take place in immigration court.

By contrast, overall, only 30 percent of migrants were detained after their apprehensions.

According to TRAC, ICE determines when a person is held, and that there is no specific pattern in the decision-making.

“In reality, little is known about the factors that influence these custody decisions,” writes TRAC. “The ICE agents have wide discretion to make decisions and their criteria is rarely revealed.”

According to TRAC, it appears decisions are taken by the agents themselves and are influenced by their own backgrounds and ethnic identity.

However, the state in which migrants are apprehended can also determine whether they are detained.

TRAC says being detained can have major implications, adding that individuals who remain in custody have a more difficult time obtaining the documents and the legal help to make a case against deportation.

TRAC also says that the vast majority of individuals in ICE custody, through June 30, had no criminal record, and that 4 out of 5, either had no record or had only committed a minor offense such as a traffic violation.

Racial discrimination? Probably!

Click on one of the links below to see their detention rates nationality by nationality.

Mexican immigrants more likely to remain behind bars after arrest, data shows
“In reality, little is known about the factors that influence these custody decisions,” writes TRAC. “The ICE agents have wide discretion to make decisions and the criteria used b…

https://www.newsnationnow.com/us-news/immigration/border-coverage/mexican-immigrants-more-likely-to-remain-behind-bars-after-arrest-data-shows

Newsweek: Green card holder put in solitary confinement leaves family wanting answers

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AFilipino green card holder who has lived in the United States since childhood was detained and placed in solitary confinement after returning from a family trip to the Philippines, before later being released—a sequence of events that has left his family outraged.

On May 15, Customs and Border Protection officers stopped Maximo Londonio, a 42-year-old Olympia, Washington, resident, at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport while he was returning from a trip to the Philippines with his wife, Crystal Londonio.

The couple had traveled overseas to mark their 20th wedding anniversary, but instead of a routine entry process, Londonio was taken into custody and held in what the family described as harsh conditions.

“A lack of compassion, a lack of care when it comes to, you know, necessities, basic needs, you know, good water, quality water,” Crystal Londonio told KING 5 Seattle at an anti-ICE protest in Seattle on Labor Day.

Newsweek has contacted the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) via email and the family through a GoFundMe page for comment outside office hours.

Why It Matters

President Donald Trump‘s administration has ramped up immigration enforcement operations in a bid to conduct widespread deportations.

Immigrants residing in the country illegally and legally, with valid documentation such as green cards and visas, have been detained under hard-line mass deportation plans. Newsweek has documented dozens of cases involving green card holders and applicants who were swept up in the immigration raids and various arrests, as well as several who have been released from detention.

What To Know

Born in the Philippines, Londonio came to the United States when he was 12 and has lived here since 1997, according to the immigrant advocacy group Tanggol Migrante Network WA. He and his wife have three daughters, all U.S. citizens.

Londonio works as a lead forklift operator and is a dues-paying member of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local 695. His supporters cite his long-term residence, steady work and family ties as reasons he should not be deported.

Federal immigration law allows lawful permanent residents to be placed in removal proceedings if they have certain criminal convictions. Londonio’s record includes prior convictions for grand theft and drug possession, according to DHS.

After being detained at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma for two months under conditions his family described as inhumane, Londonio was released from ICE custody. Tanggol Migrante Network WA told Newsweek in July that Londonio had spent “nearly a month in solitary confinement.”

KING 5 Seattle reported that 800 people attended the Labor Day anti-ICE protest.

What People Are Saying

Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin told Newsweek in May: “Maximo Londono has a criminal record, including convictions for grand theft and the use of a controlled substance. Under federal immigration law, lawful permanent residents convicted of these types of crimes can lose their legal status and be removed. If you are an alien, being in the United States is a privilege—not a right. When you break our laws that privilege should be revoked, and you should not be in this country.”

Maximo Londonio’s family wrote on GoFundMe: “Maximo is not a threat—he is a devoted father, loving husband, community member, and worker. He has rebuilt his life with dignity and purpose, and now his family’s future is being torn apart by a broken immigration system that’s targeting long-settled immigrants like him.”

What Happens Next

Londonio’s long-term immigration status remains in question. It is unknown whether his green card has been revoked or if immigration authorities will begin removal proceedings.

Green card holder put in solitary confinement leaves family wanting answers
“A lack of compassion, a lack of care when it comes to, you know, necessities, basic needs,” Crystal Londonio told KING 5 Seattle.

https://www.newsweek.com/green-card-holder-solitary-confinement-immigration-2122990

Inquirer: 4 more Filipino cruise ship workers deported in US immigration raid

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More than 100 Filipinos have been removed from various cruise ships this year, says the Pilipino Workers Center of Southern California

Four more Filipino seafarers were removed from the Carnival Sunshine cruise line and deported when it docked in Norfolk, Virginia, on Sunday, according to a worker advocacy group.

In a memo sent to supporters on Sunday, Pilipino Workers Center of Southern California (PWC) Executive Director Aquilina Soriano Versoza said they were “worried that again there will be no due process and the revocation of their visas with no evidence, charges or convictions and that they will be quickly deported.”

On Monday, Versoza said the four workers have already been deported, bringing the total number of Filipinos removed from Carnival Sunshine to 28.

Versoza said more than 100 Filipino workers have been removed from various cruise ships this year.

The latest CBP raid took place as the Philippine Senate started to investigate the reported unjust deportation of Filipino cruise ship workers.

On June 28, CBP officers raided Carnival Sunshine while it was docked at the port of Norfolk, Virginia. During the raid, several Filipino workers – all with valid 10-year visas – were removed from the ship, deported and banned from re-entry to the United States for 10 years.

An investigation conducted by the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) revealed that the deported seafarers, who were accused of consuming child pornography, were not given due process.

The Filipino workers were not informed of their right to consular representation as stated in Article 36 of the Vienna Convention, Olalia said as he presented the agency’s findings during the Senate committee on migrant workers’ inquiry into the reported unjust deportations.

The Consulate of the Philippines was not even informed that the seafarers were detained, interviewed and deported, Olalia added.

On Sunday, PWC reached out to Congressman Bobby Scott, Senator Tim Kaine, the Philippine Embassy and Carnival Cruise for assistance to the affected workers, including a restaurant steward, laundry attendant, deck department staff and a 3rd officer, according to Versoza.

“We have had some success that there hadn’t been any more deportations from the Carnival Sunshine until now, and the Philippines held a Senate hearing on these deportations and are now providing some financial assistance to those already deported,” said Versoza, who was on her way to the Philippines to seek assistance for the deported Filipinos.

“But of course that is not enough. We must get the seafarers’ visas reinstated and stop these deportations now.”

4 more Filipino cruise ship workers deported in US immigration raid
Four more Filipino seafarers were removed from the Carnival Sunshine cruise line and deported when it docked in Norfolk, Virginia.

https://usa.inquirer.net/177431/4-more-filipino-cruise-ship-workers-deported-in-us-immigration-raid

Inquirer: Filipino workers removed from cruise ship in US immigration raid

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The workers, sent back to the Philippines, are banned from re-entry to the United States for 10 years

At least 18 Filipino workers “were forcibly removed in handcuffs” from a cruise ship at the Port of Norfolk in Virginia recently, sent back to the Philippines and banned from re-entry to the United States for 10 years, Filipino American community leaders said Saturday.

The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) removed the Filipino workers, all with valid 10-year visas, from the Carnival Sunshine cruise line, the Pilipino Workers Center (PWC) and the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) said in a joint statement.

The workers, who have not been charged or found guilty of any crime, were removed “in an alarming escalation of unjust immigration practices,” the PWC and NaFFAA said.

“These crew members are dedicated parents and spouses with exemplary backgrounds, having passed rigorous background checks to obtain their work visas,” they said.

“Their abrupt removal, accompanied by the cancellation of their visas and a shocking 10-year ban from re-entry, has inflicted deep humiliation, plunging their families into dire financial straits.”

The CBP confirmed an ongoing operation but did not provide details, according to a USA Today report. Other cruise lines affected include Viking and Pearl Seas Cruises.

The crew members had valid work visas and were previously cleared to work in the US, the report said.

As the Carnival Sunshine is set to dock again in Norfolk this Sunday, the remaining crew members “are left in fear of being the next victims of these aggressive actions,” the PWC and NaFFAA added.

The Fil-Am groups said the workplace raids reflect “a disturbing national trend that has seen other crew members deported under similar false pretenses, despite their valid visas and lack of criminal charges.”

“Community members are outraged by this blatant mistreatment of Filipino workers and are demanding accountability from Customs and Border Patrol, Carnival Corporate and the Philippine Embassy to safeguard the rights and well-being of Filipino and other cruise ship seafarers,” the groups said.

PWC, NaFFAA, immigration advocates and faith-based leaders will hold a press conference on Sunday.

Filipino workers removed from cruise ship in US immigration raid
US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has removed several Filipino cruise ship workers from the Carnival Sunshine cruise line.

https://usa.inquirer.net/175811/filipino-workers-removed-from-cruise-ship-in-us-immigration-raid

Guardian: Ice arrests of US military veterans and their relatives are on the rise: ‘a country that I fought for’

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As Trump urges more deportations, veterans are seeing their parents, children and even themselves detained

The son of an American citizen and military veteran – but who has no citizenship to any country – was deported from the US to Jamaica in late May.

Jermaine Thomas’s deportation, recently reported on by the Austin Chronicle, is one of a growing number of immigration cases involving military service members’ relatives or even veterans themselves who have been ensnared in the Trump administration’s mass deportation program.

As the Chronicle reported, Thomas was born on a US army base in Germany to an American citizen father, who was originally born in Jamaica and is now dead. Thomas does not have US, German or Jamaican citizenship – but Trump’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) agency deported him anyway to Jamaica, a country in which he had never set foot.

Thomas had spent two-and-a-half months incarcerated while waiting for an update on his case. He was previously at the center of a case brought before the US supreme court regarding his unique legal status.

The federal government argued that Thomas – who had previously received a deportation order – was not a citizen simply because he was born on a US army base, and it used prior criminal convictions to buttress the case against him. He petitioned for a review of the order, but the supreme court denied him, finding his father “did not meet the physical presence requirement of the [law] in force at the time of Thomas’s birth”.

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In another recent case, the wife of another Marine Corps veteran was detained by Ice despite still breastfeeding her three-month-old daughter. According to the Associated Press, the veteran’s wife had been going through a process to obtain legal residency.

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In March, Ice officials arrested the daughter of a US veteran who had been fighting a legal battle regarding her status. Alma Bowman, 58, was taken into custody by Ice during a check-in at the Atlanta field office, despite her having lived in the US since she was 10 years old.

Bowman was born in the Philippines during the Vietnam war, to a US navy service member from Illinois stationed there. She had lived in Georgia for almost 50 years. Her permanent residency was revoked following a minor criminal conviction from 20 years ago, leading her to continue a legal battle to obtain citizenship in the US.

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In another recent case, a US army veteran and green-card holder left on his own to South Korea. His deportation order was due to charges related to drug possession and an issue with drug addiction after being wounded in combat in the 1980s, for which he earned the prestigious Purple Heart citation.

“I can’t believe this is happening in America,” Sae Joon Park, who had held legal permanent residency, told National Public Radio. “That blows me away – like, [it is] a country that I fought for.”

Ice arrests of US military veterans and their relatives are on the rise: ‘a country that I fought for’
As Trump urges more deportations, veterans are seeing their parents, children and even themselves detained

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/28/us-military-veterans-detained-trump

Associated Press: US resumes visas for foreign students but demands access to social media accounts

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The U.S. State Department said Wednesday it is restarting the suspended process for foreigners applying for student visas but all applicants will now be required to unlock their social media accounts for government review.

The department said consular officers will be on the lookout for posts and messages that could be deemed hostile to the United States, its government, culture, institutions or founding principles.

… or which might otherwise annoy our pathetic thin-skinned Grifter-in-Chief.

Currently only about half of social-media users have public profiles, and even then they may choose to limit access on a post-by-post basis.

This will not work to our advantage in the long run.

US resumes visas for foreign students but demands access to social media accounts

https://apnews.com/article/student-visas-trump-social-media-6632a2c585245edcd6a63594345dd8c7

KCAU Sioux City: Woman, 64, in US legally for 50 years is detained by ICE for 3 months

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A 64-year-old woman, a legal permanent resident of the United States for the last 50 years, was held in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement for three months, according to multiple media reports.  

Lewelyn Dixon, a lab technician at the University of Washington, was arrested at Seattle-Tacoma Airport and taken to the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, according to reporting by Oregon Public Broadcasting.  

A Filipino green-card holder, Dixon has been in the U.S. since she was 14 and was detained after returning from a trip to the Philippines in late February. 

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In Dixon’s case, what caught the attention of U.S. Customs and Border Protection was likely a 25-year-old embezzlement conviction, attorney Benjamin Osorio told the outlet.  

In 2000, Dixon pleaded guilty to stealing $6,460 from Washington Mutual Bank, where she worked as a vault teller and operations supervisor. She was ordered to spend 30 days in a halfway house and pay restitution, both of which she has completed. 

Woman, 64, in US legally for 50 years is detained by ICE for 3 months
She was detained after returning from a trip to the Philippines in late February.

https://www.siouxlandproud.com/news/national-news/woman-64-in-us-legally-for-50-years-is-detained-by-ice-for-3-months

Newsweek: Green card holder in US for 50 years “in distress” as she faces deportation

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A green card holder who has lived in the United States for five decades is set to appear before an immigration judge in Seattle on Thursday in an effort to avoid deportation.

Lewelyn Dixon, known as “Auntie Lyn,” has spent the last three months in immigration detention after being stopped by federal agents after returning from a trip.

“She has been in distress trying to figure out what to say to the judge and how to explain why she deserves to stay in America, the only home she’s truly known since she was a child. The pressure is immense,” Her niece Melania Madriaga told Hawaii News Now.

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Dixon’s attorney, Benjamin Osorio, previously told Newsweek that the current issue stems from a single conviction dating back to 2001. According to Osorio, the conviction was for a nonviolent embezzlement offense, for which Dixon was sentenced to 30 days in a halfway house and fined $6,400. She was never required to serve time in jail or prison.

Green card holder in US for 50 years “in distress” as she faces deportation
Green card holder Lewelyn Dixon will appear before an immigration judge in Seattle on Thursday in an effort to avoid deportation.

https://www.newsweek.com/lewelyn-dixon-green-card-holder-immigration-hearing-2078436

Newsweek: Veteran’s daughter living in US 48 years locked up by ICE

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President Donald Trump‘s immigration enforcers have reportedly arrested the daughter of a U.S. veteran.

Alma Bowman, 58, was taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in March during a scheduled check-in at its Atlanta field office, according to Atlanta News First. She has been living in the country since she was 10 years old.

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Her father, Lawrence Bowman, a U.S. Navy service member from Illinois, was stationed in the Philippines during the Vietnam War. Alma Bowman was born in the Philippines in 1966, and her family relocated to the United States a decade later. She has lived in Macon, Georgia, for almost 50 years.

Certain legal provisions allow for the extension of citizenship to family members of individuals who have served in the U.S. military.

Veteran’s daughter living in US 48 years locked up by ICE
Certain legal provisions allow for extending citizenship to family members of individuals who have served in the U.S. military.

https://www.newsweek.com/alma-bowman-veteran-daughter-detained-ice-immigration-2077893

AsAmNews: Green card holders face extra scrutiny and detention at airports

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U.S. Customs and Border Patrol is warning travelers this summer holding green cards that they could face detention when traveling through airports.

There’s been much concern following reports that ICE agents have detained individuals returning to the U.S. from the Philippines.

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“As part of CBP’s national security mission, officers routinely determine the admissibility of foreign nationals using longstanding U.S. immigration law,” CBP said in a statement to the Inquirer. “Lawful permanent residents convicted of offenses considered to be crimes involving moral turpitude, including aggravated felonies, can legally lose their status and be removed. Crimes involving moral turpitude include offenses such as grand theft and the use or distribution of controlled substances.”

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A Homeland Security commercial running on both radio and TV features Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem proclaiming that under President Trump, the United States has been made safer as murderers and rapists are being deported.

However, its apparent nonviolent offenders are also being caught into this dragnet despite their legal immigration status. Protesters deemed acting against the interest of the Trump administration’s U.S. policy are also being deported.

Green card holders face extra scrutiny and detention at airports – AsAmNews
Filipino green card holders returning from Philippines are being apprehended by immigration agents at the airport for non-violent past criminal offenses.
Green card holders face extra scrutiny and detention at airports