Latest news with #TanggolMigrante
South China Morning Post
16-06-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Meet the Asians ‘on the front lines' of Trump's immigration crackdown in Los Angeles
The Asian community in the United States, including Filipinos , is reporting an atmosphere of 'agitation, fear and pain' as protesters in Los Angeles continue to rally against raids by immigration agents, amid US President Donald Trump's crackdown on illegal immigrants. 'What we've witnessed are military-style raids where Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), along with other federal agencies and the military, are going to the communities with their faces covered, armed and taking people from their homes and workplaces,' an activist using the alias Paul Duque from the US-based Filipino labour advocacy group Tanggol Migrante (Defend Migrants) Network, told This Week in Asia. Nearly 500 people have been arrested in Los Angeles since protests started on June 6 after a series of ICE raids on migrants swept the city. Close to 10 million people live in Los Angeles county – which includes Los Angeles and 87 other cities. Of these, 48.6 per cent are of Latino or Hispanic heritage – believed to be the primary target of these immigration raids. The county is also home to the US' biggest Asian-American and Pacific Islander community, at over 1.5 million. Filipinos make up 321,000 of the population, the largest concentration in the US Protesters march past US Marines standing guard outside a federal building in Los Angeles on Sunday. Photo: AP
Hindustan Times
07-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Who is Maximo Londonio? Tacoma Green card holder's ICE detention sparks protests
Supporters stood outside the Northwest ICE Processing Center Friday afternoon, demanding the release of Maximo 'Kuya Max' Londonio — a well-known labor union leader, US green card holder, and father of three. Londonio, 42, was taken into custody by Customs and Border Protection after coming back from a trip to the Philippines. The trip was to pay tribute to his late mother and celebrate his wedding anniversary with his wife, Crystal. 'He's not a danger. He's one of us. He's our brother,' one protester shouted, as chants of support filled the air outside the facility. Crystal said her husband has a past, which they believe is the reason he's now detained. But she also said Max took ownership of the mistakes he made many years ago. 'Max took responsibility for what he did more than 25 years ago and fulfilled all the requirements set by the court,' Crystal said. She believes both governments have now left him behind. 'They told us they're waiting to see what the US will do before making a decision,' Crystal added. Crystal has found help through Tanggol Migrante, a migrant advocacy group, and is now working with them to raise awareness about how detention affects families. Also Read: Have a valid Green Card? You might still face deportation - Here's why 'This hits the economy too, and it's bringing it down,' said Jo Faralan from Tanggol Migrante. 'Migrant workers keep so much of this country running.' Advocates say Londonio's case isn't rare — and want big changes. 'I want my husband home, and our daughters want their dad back now,' Crystal said. The family has teamed up with immigrant rights groups and labor unions calling for the release of all detainees. During the protest, a bus — passenger count unknown — entered the facility as Crystal joined chants of 'Free them all.' La Resistencia, another advocacy group, says the Tacoma detention center is overcrowded, now holding over 1,600 people. The group also says conditions are getting worse, while two to three deportation flights leave each week.
South China Morning Post
02-06-2025
- 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.
The Star
21-05-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Filipino green card holder detained at Seattle airport after Philippine vacation
Crystal Londonio (right) speaking at a rally demanding the immediate release of her husband, Max Londonio. - IAM Union website NEW YORK: Maximo 'Max' Londonio, a Filipino green card holder and father of three, has been detained at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport after returning from a family vacation in the Philippines, sparking protests and renewed calls for government accountability. Londonio, 42, who immigrated to the US at age 12 and now lives in Olympia, Washington, was taken into custody by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on May 15. Londonio, his wife and their 12-year-old daughter were returning from their vacation in the Philippines, according to migrant rights advocacy group Tanggol Migrante. CBP agents reportedly detained Londonio over non-violent offences from his youth, despite previous uneventful travel between the US and the Philippines. His wife, Crystal – a US citizen – described him as 'dedicated,' 'family-focused' and 'affectionate,' and said she received little information about his whereabouts or the reasons for his detention. She was finally able to contact him on Tuesday and learned he had received a notice to appear before an immigration judge and would be transferred to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centre, where thousands of migrants await deportation hearings. 'The lack of accountability by the United States CBP is failing him right now. It's failing everybody. It's taking from everyone who seeks refuge here — those seeking freedom and equality,' Crystal said at a rally outside the airport, where friends and family chanted 'Free Max now' and demanded action from both US and Philippine authorities. Londonio's case echoes other recent detentions of Filipino green card holders, including Lewelyn Dixon, who was arrested at the same airport in February. At least four Filipino green card holders are currently being held at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, according to Tanggol Migrante. Efforts to secure support from the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco, which has jurisdiction over Washington state, have been met with bureaucratic delays and limited communication, according to NBC News. Crystal said the consulate's emergency hotline provided vague answers, and Assistance to Nationals Officer Bernice Santayana did not respond for two days. On May 19, the consulate confirmed Londonio was not in ICE detention, a fact easily verified online, and admitted they had been unable to contact CBP. 'We are enraged that the Philippine government did not intervene quickly enough to fight for Max's release,' said Jo Faralan of Tanggol Migrante. 'Crystal already feels the US government has failed her. It's shameful that the Philippine government has failed them too.' The Philippine embassy and consulates in the US have stated they are providing 'appropriate consular assistance,' but advocates say this response falls short. Tanggol Migrante has called for greater accountability from officials including San Francisco Consul General Neil Ferrer and Philippine Ambassador Jose Manuel Romualdez, with an open letter signed by more than 100 organisations. - Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN
