Maximo “Kuya Max” Londonio, a green card holder who had been in the United States for decades, was released on Friday from a detention centerin Washington state.
Newsweek has reached out to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for comment via email on Saturday.
Why It Matters
Londonio’s release marks a less common development amid the Trump administration’s sweeping immigration enforcement efforts, in which the president has pledged to launch the largest mass deportation operation in U.S. history.
Immigrants residing in the country illegally and legally, with valid documentation such as green cards and visas, have been detained. Newsweek has reported 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.
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) warning, published on July 9, said that “possessing a green card is a privilege, not a right” and that legal residents arriving at a port of entry with prior criminal convictions may be detained in advance of removal proceeding.
What To Know
Londonio, a 42-year-old Olympia, Washington, resident who was born in the Philippines and came to the U.S. when he was 12, was detained by CBP officers at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on May 15 upon return from a trip to the Philippines. He was celebrating his 20th wedding anniversary with his wife Crystal, a GoFundMe set up on his behalf said.
He has been in the U.S. since 1997, advocate group Tanggol Migrante WA previously told Newsweek. He and his wife also have three daughters, all of whom are U.S. citizens. Londonio, a lead forklift operator, is a member of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local 695, the union confirmed.
Holding his wife’s hand on Friday, Londonio thanked supporters outside the Northwest ICE Processing Center, a privately-run facility operated by the GEO Group that holds more than 1,500 detainees. Tanggol Migrante WA said in a Friday statement sent to Newsweek that Londonio spent “nearly a month in solitary confinement.”
His release came the day after Philippine Deputy Consul General Maria Paz Cortes and Assistance to Nationals Officer Bernice Santayana visited the center and met with ICE officials.
Londonio had previous nonviolent convictions, including grant theft, from when he was a young adult. They have since been “fully resolved” Tanggol Migrante WA previously told Newsweek.
The online fundraiser collected over $15,000. Three other Filipino green card holders detained at the Northwest ICE Processing Center have received support from Tanggol Migrante, including Ate Michelle, Lewelyn Dixon and Rodante Rivera, who have since been released.
What People Are Saying
Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin previously said in a statement to Newsweek: “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.”
The Philippine Consulate in San Francisco wrote in a July 11 statement: “The Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco welcomes the decision of the Immigration Court in granting the petition of Mr. Maximo Londonio, Filipino national, for the termination of the immigration proceedings against him and ordering his release.”
Customs and Border Protection, in a statement on X, formerly Twitter, on July 8: “Having a criminal history does not make you an upstanding lawful permanent resident. Possessing a green card is a privilege, not a right. Under our nation’s laws, our government has the authority to revoke your green card if our laws are broken and abused. In addition to immigration removal proceedings, lawful permanent residents presenting at a U.S. port of entry with previous criminal convictions may be subject to mandatory detention.”
International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) President Brian Bryant, in a May 20 statement: “Like so many across our country, our IAM Union Brother Maximo is simply trying to be the best husband and father he can be and provide for his family. To our knowledge, there has been no evidence to support the U.S. government’s continued detention of Maximo. We call for his immediate release.”
What Happens Next?
Dozens of cases are moving through immigration hearings and legal filings as attorneys seek to secure the release of several green card holders from detention centers.
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