(This article was originally published in South Seattle Emerald and has been reprinted under an agreement.)
Originally from the Philippines, Maximo Londonio, 42, has been in the U.S. since he was 12 years old. He has lived as a green-card holder in Olympia for over 20 years and is a husband and father of three.
He and his family travel back to his home country annually to visit relatives and have always returned home with no issue.
But on May 15, as Londonio returned from an annual trip to the Philippines, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) detained Londonio at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, where agents held him for four days before transferring him to the Northwest ICE Processing Center, formerly known as the Northwest Detention Center, in Tacoma.
“We just want him to come home,” wife Crystal Londonio said through tears to a crowd of protesters on May 19. “I want to know about his welfare, I want to know if he’s OK.” The press conference and community rally was organized at Sea-Tac Airport by Tanggol Migrante Network WA, a coalition that has been advocating for Filipino migrants since the beginning of the second Trump administration.
Experts at Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP) have seen an uptick in detainments of green-card holders at Sea-Tac Airport since President Donald Trump retook office in January.
“If there’s any sort of issue on their record or in their past, [flying] is a lot more dangerous [than before],” NWIRP Deputy Director Vanessa Gutierrez said.
Max Londonio’s advocates say CBP agents at Sea-Tac Airport stopped him based on prior convictions on his record. Crystal Londonio was told her husband would need to be held over the weekend in order to get the proper documentation needed for his release, a family spokesperson said.
The family did not disclose Londonio’s charges, but stated they were more than 20 years old and were “nonviolent.”
This comes months after the arrest of Lewelyn Dixon, a Filipino national who was detained by CBP at Sea-Tac upon returning from the Philippines on Feb. 28. Dixon remains at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, awaiting her court hearing on May 29.
Tanggol Migrante WA also rallied behind the release of another green-card holder known as “Ate Michelle,” who was detained at San Francisco International Airport on Feb. 12 and transferred to the same facility in Washington.
On May 20, a CBP spokesperson indicated that anyone traveling through a port of entry is subject to inspection.
“As part of CBP’s critical national security mission, CBP officers routinely determine admissibility of foreign nationals using longstanding U.S. immigration law, “Jason Givens, a CBP press officer, wrote in a statement.
Unlike when a foreign national is approached by immigration enforcement at their home or workplace, being detained at an airport can have different rules, Gutierrez said. When someone seeking admission at an international port in the U.S. is detained, they do not have a mandatory right to an attorney.
“[CBP agents] can allow someone to talk to their lawyer, but they don’t have to,” Gutierrez said.
Under the Trump administration, Gutierrez warned that any green-card holder with a record of misdemeanors or aggravated felonies can face a risk of deportation.
Londonio’s arrest was part of a string of recent ICE detainments in the Seattle area. On May 20, federal agents arrested 17 people working at a beverage manufacturing warehouse in Kent, The Seattle Times reported.
On the same day, ICE arrested at least three people at immigration court in a federal office building in downtown Seattle.
The Trump administration has publicly announced its aim to boost deportations. The White House website states the government will “faithfully execute the immigration laws against all inadmissible and removable aliens.”
According to Gutierrez, the law determines who is deportable, but the governing party “has discretion in how they apply the law and who they prioritize.”
When traveling internationally, Gutierrez advised those with any criminal history to have proper documentation on hand and to consult with an attorney before their trip. Some attorneys have sent their clients with letters explaining their citizenship status in case they are stopped, she said.
“[Londonio] is respectable, he’s hardworking, he’s family-oriented and he’s loving,” Crystal Londio said in her speech to protestors. “He gives me strength and purpose.”
If you or someone you know is worried about detainment or questioning, know that everyone has rights, no matter their status. Read South Seattle Emerald’s South End Guide to Immigrant Safety to learn more.
Established in 1974, the International Examiner (IE) is the oldest and largest nonprofit, pan-Asian Pacific American publication in the Northwest.
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