Filipino green card holder detained at Seattle airport after PH vacation

Crystal Londonio (right) speaks at a rally demanding the immediate release of her husband, Max Londonio. Photo from 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 nonviolent offenses from his youth, despite previous uneventful travel between the US and the Philippines.

US immigration law allows for the detention and possible deportation of green card holders with certain prior convictions, regardless of whether they have already served their sentences or if the convictions are old.

Londonio’s 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 center, 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 U.S. 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 organizations.

Under the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act, or IIRIRA, of 1996, green card holders can be detained and placed in removal proceedings if they have been convicted of crimes classified as deportable offenses.

These include aggravated felonies, crimes involving moral turpitude, such as theft or fraud, drug offenses and other serious crimes – even if the convictions were nonviolent or occurred years ago.

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US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and CBP have the authority to detain green card holders with such convictions when they re-enter the country, which was what happened in the cases of Dixon and Londonio.

The law does not require the offense to be violent for immigration consequences to apply.

Nonviolent offenses – including certain thefts, fraud or other crimes involving moral turpitude – can trigger detention and possible deportation, especially if the conviction occurred within five years of obtaining a green card or resulted in a sentence of one year or more.

Even relatively minor or old convictions can put a green card holder at risk, particularly when re-entering the US after traveling abroad.