Filipino green card holder who helped US bust drug syndicate faces deportation

GMA Network

4 days ago

NEW YORK – The family and friends of a Filipino arrested by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are seeking help as he is currently detained at the Stewart Detention Center in Georgia.
Border Patrol agents at Charlotte International Airport in North Carolina arrested 44-year-old Sonny Lasquite, a green card holder from Pampanga, on July 28, 2025.
According to Dory Hirano, a family friend of Lasquite, they had just returned from a vacation in the Bahamas when he was stopped by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at the airport.
Joji Hirano, Lasquite's best friend and also a green card holder, told GMA Integrated News that both of them were detained on secondary inspection. Hirano was released after almost an hour, but Lasquite was put on hold after a red flag popped up in the CBP system.
Court records show that Lasquite was convicted on August 14, 2012 in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute Schedule IV controlled substances, and for distributing alprazolam and zolpidem.
Documents obtained by GMA Integrated News reveal that Lasquite played a key role in dismantling the international operations of his associates. His cooperation with the US Attorney's Office and federal agents led to the conviction of seven individuals, including the group's leader.
Because of this, the US Department of Justice recommended a sentence of zero to six months' imprisonment for his guilty plea.
In a letter dated July 2014, former US Attorney Preet Bharara, in his sentencing memorandum submitted to Honorable Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald of the Southern District of New York, stated that Lasquite was instrumental in stopping and prosecuting those involved in drug distribution.
'Lasquite provided substantial assistance to law enforcement by supplying information about other people, including those with whom he had conspired to violate federal law,' the document stated.
As a result, the court sentenced Lasquite to time served, meaning he was not imprisoned further, and ordered him to pay only $200 in criminal monetary penalties.
Since his 2012 conviction, Lasquite has not been involved in any wrongdoing. He has been working as a banquet server in a casino in Las Vegas, supporting his mother. He has lived in the United States for 23 years.
Immigration lawyer and Bergenfield, New Jersey Mayor Arvin Amatorio told GMA Integrated News that Lasquite's cooperation was significant but does not guarantee that his deportation will be stopped.
"His cooperation with US authorities is significant, but it doesn't automatically stop deportation unless law enforcement steps in to sponsor a special visa or DHS uses prosecutorial discretion," Amatorio said.
According to Amatorio, due to the seriousness of his conviction, Lasquite faces the risk of being deported to the Philippines.
"Sonny is in danger of deportation because, under US immigration law, any lawful permanent resident convicted of distributing controlled substances—even with a short sentence—can be removed from the country. His conviction counts as both a controlled substance offense and an aggravated felony, and it also involves moral turpitude since it's a serious offense showing intent to break the law."
He added that Lasquite's options to stop deportation are very limited.
"These grounds block most forms of relief, like asylum or cancellation of removal. There are still limited options. He could apply for withholding of removal or protection under the Convention Against Torture if he can prove serious danger in the Philippines. Another path is post-conviction relief, where the criminal conviction is overturned for legal reasons,' Amatorio said.
Lasquite's family has already spoken to representatives of the Philippine Embassy in Washington, DC which is currently monitoring his case. —KG, GMA Integrated News