Latest news with #LewelynDixon
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
Woman, 64, in U.S. legally for 50 years detained by ICE for 3 months
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. A lab technician at the University of Washington, Lewelyn Dixon, 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. 'It was horrific; it was awful, it is crowded,' she told loved ones, friends and supporters who greeted her outside the detention facility after a judge ruled she was not eligible for deportation, NBC News reported. Since Trump has taken office, several green-card holders, including a Danish national father of four with no criminal record who has legally been in the country for more than 10 years, have been swept up in the administration's immigration crackdown. 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, the 64-year-old 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. 'They're trying to kill me': Transgender woman in L.A. violently assaulted Lani Madriaga, Dixon's niece, told NBC News the entire ordeal has been traumatizing and emotional, especially since the 64-year-old never told her family about the conviction. 'We don't think of her any differently after we found out about her conviction,' she told the outlet. 'She turned it all around and she really worked hard and really focused on health care, where it's really about helping the community.' Long eligible for citizenship, the 64-year-old never pursued it because she promised her father she'd maintain her Filipino nationality so that she could keep property in the country. According to her niece, Dixon's first priorities now that she's out of the detention facility are to get her citizenship and return to work. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- General
- South China Morning Post
US deportations: how safe are Filipinos – and what can Manila do?
The release of a Philippines -born green card holder as ordered by a US judge after she was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has spurred calls for stronger support from Manila amid fears of the roll-out of the largest deportation programme in American history. Advertisement Lewelyn Dixon spent three months at an ICE detention centre in Tacoma, Washington state, after being apprehended on February 28 while returning to her home in Seattle following a trip to the Philippines. Dixon's lawyer, Benjamin Osorio, suspected her remand might have been triggered by an embezzlement conviction in 2001, for which she was sentenced to 30 days in a halfway house and fined US$6,400. On Friday, an immigration judge in Tacoma ruled that the old judgment could not be used as a basis for Dixon's deportation to the Philippines and ordered her release. 'The biggest thing to realise is she should have never been there in the first place,' Dixon's niece, Emily Cristobal, said in a statement. She should have never been there in the first place Emily Cristobal, Lewelyn Dixon's niece US-based Filipino labour advocacy group Tanggol Migrante (Defend Migrants) Network said the verdict highlighted that Dixon's strong character outweighed the potential reasons for deportation, and that robust family and community support had contributed to the cancellation of her removal.
GMA Network
3 days ago
- GMA Network
Consular assistance extended to Filipina green card holder released from detention
The Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C. on Saturday welcomed the decision by a United States court to release green card holder Lewelyn Dixon from detention. "The Embassy welcomes the decision by a United States court to grant Ms. Lewelyn Dixon's petition for cancellation of removal and to order her release. The Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco provided appropriate consular assistance and ensured that her rights were protected throughout the hearing process," it said in a statement. Meanwhile, the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco said its representatives were present during Dixon's hearing in Tacoma, Washington, on May 29. "The Consulate welcomes the court's decision granting her petition for cancellation of removal and ordering her release and joins the family and friends of Ms. Dixon in celebrating the favorable outcome of this case. After the hearing, the Consulate's representatives were able to speak with Ms. Dixon in private and handed over to her the welfare assistance approved by the Department of Foreign Affairs," it said. The embassy said it remains steadfast in providing consular assistance to all Filipinos regardless of their immigration status while honoring the right of the US to enforce its own domestic laws, including those on immigration. The 64-year-old Filipina was arrested back in February by the US Customs and Border Protection at the Seattle International Airport upon returning from a vacation in the Philippines after her record showed a conviction for embezzlement in 2001. The immigration judge's decision said that the two-decade-old conviction could not be used as a basis for deportation to the Philippines. Dixon worked as a lab technician at the University of Washington Medical Center for nearly a decade after moving from Hawaii, where she finished high school. —VBL, GMA Integrated News
The Star
3 days ago
- The Star
It was hell: Filipino mom released from ICE detention
Lewelyn Dixon was released on May 29. - kuow/Instagram via PDI/ANN NEW YORK: Lewelyn Dixon, a 64-year-old Filipino green card holder who was detained by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) while returning home to Seattle, Washington, from a trip to the Philippines earlier this year, has been released. Dixon was released after an immigration hearing May 29 at the Northwest ICE Processing Centre in Tacoma. 'I'm feeling relief, elated, happy,' the Filipino mother said immediately after the hearing, breaking into tears. 'It was hell,' she added, describing the three months she spent in detention, according to the Seattle Times. Migrant rights advocates said Dixon's ordeal highlights the ongoing challenges faced by many Filipino immigrants under the Trump administration's immigration policies. Dixon has been a lawful permanent resident for five decades. She first arrived in the US from the Philippines at age 14. During the hearing, Dixon disclosed that in 2001, she was convicted of embezzling approximately US$6,500 from Washington Mutual Bank. At the time, she worked as a vault teller, responsible for distributing cash to other tellers and withdrawing money from the vault multiple times. Then in 2011, she was convicted of theft. Dixon explained that she had forgotten about a few items she left in her purse while shopping at Walmart. She intended to return and pay for approximately US$27 worth of items but was detained before doing so. Immigration officials said those past convictions were the primary reasons for her arrest and detention. Dixon emphasised that she had resolved her legal issues. She served no jail time but was ordered to repay the stolen money and spent 30 days at a residential reentry facility. For her 2011 theft conviction, she agreed to do community service, and the charge was dismissed. 'I think it was temptation that led me to it,' Dixon told the court. 'There was just so much money I had never seen before.' Despite her legal troubles, Dixon traveled regularly between the Philippines and the US without issue until her recent detention. When asked why she never pursued citizenship, Dixon explained she made a promise to her father to maintain property in the Philippines for the family. Her family was unaware of her past convictions and was reluctant to discuss her detention. Dixon revealed her history only during the hearing, prompted by her lawyer Benjamin Osorio. Judge Tammy Fitting granted Dixon relief under provisions available to lawful permanent residents who have held their status for at least five years and have no serious criminal record, known as aggravated felonies. In her ruling, Judge Fitting emphasised Dixon's decades of lawful residency, work history, tax payments, family ties in the US and multiple letters of support. Additionally, a government attorney waived the right to appeal. Her past convictions qualify as crimes of moral turpitude under immigration law, and two such crimes can jeopardise a green card holder's status if they remain in the US. However, different rules apply when returning from abroad. In those cases, even one crime of moral turpitude can render a person inadmissible. While in detention, Dixon received frequent visits from family and supporters, including members of the Tanggol Migrante Network Washington, an organisation advocating for Filipino migrants and families. - Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN
CBS News
5 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Hours after protests in Philadelphia and across US, Washington woman released from ICE custody
Rally held in Philadelphia for Washington woman who was released by ICE Rally held in Philadelphia for Washington woman who was released by ICE Rally held in Philadelphia for Washington woman who was released by ICE Hours after protests in Philadelphia and around the country, a 64-year-old woman has been released from ICE custody. Holding signs and chanting "Free Auntie Lynn," members of the Service Employees International Union called for the release of one of their own on Thursday. "For 50 years she's had a green card, and all of a sudden she's not welcome," said Richard Genetti, who represents federal employees as part of the American Federation of Government Employees. Lewelyn Dixon is a lab technician at the University of Washington. She was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in late February at the Seattle airport after returning home to see family. Dixon has been a lawful permanent resident for the last 50 years after coming to the U.S. from the Philippines at 14. She's eligible to become a naturalized citizen, but she promised her grandfather she would keep her native citizenship. CBS News Philadelphia. Dixon was likely taken into custody for a 2001 felony, which she resolved, including with restitution and a 30-day stay in a halfway house. The crowd gathered outside the ICE office on 8th Street in Philadelphia. People there said this protest is not just for Dixon but for all those facing immigration injustices. "It's basically families living in fear," says Jennifer Edmonds, who helps support families navigating the immigration process. "It's an attack on our rights because once you do it to one person, it leaves the door open to do much more to others." Edmonds and others at the rally said while Dixon's release is a win, the fight is far from over. "You can't take any of the things we fought for over the last decades for granted because there is always someone that's behind the scenes trying to take what we've gained," Edmonds said.
