Filipino union leader in ICE detention placed in solitary confinement

Filipino green card holder Maximo Londonio has been placed in solitary confinement. FILE PHOTOS

NEW YORK — Filipino union leader Maximo Londonio has been placed in solitary confinement at the Northwest Detention Center (NWDC) in Tacoma, Wash., with advocacy groups alleging he is being targeted by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in retaliation for exposing inhumane conditions at the center and fighting for the rights of fellow detainees.

Londonio, 42, known as Kuya Max, is a lead forklift driver at Crown Cork & Seal in Olympia and a member of the International Association of Machinists (IAM) for more than seven years. 

He was arrested by immigration agents on May 16 after returning from a family visit to the Philippines. The green card holder and father of three now faces deportation proceedings, despite having lived in the United States since age 12.

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At his June 20 court hearing, Londonio was granted a continuance and reaffirmed his fight against deportation, despite what supporters from the Tanggol Migrante Network describe as escalating hostility from ICE and receiving legal representation only days before the hearing.

On June 14, GEO Group guards reprocessed Londonio into a higher level of security and placed him in a segregated room, isolating him from others and the community he had built in his previous unit, according to Tanggol Migrante. He is reportedly unable to leave his room and is only given a plastic sheet to sleep on.

“We sent a message to the ATN number and Bernice [Santanaya, an ATN officer] to tell them that he was being profiled,” said Crystal Londonio, Max’s wife of 20 years. “So they have documentation on their end. […] It surprises me that they aren’t putting two plus two together. Their job is to be able to weed out the injustice that is happening. Don’t be afraid to stand up for what is right. It’s a matter of common sense.”

Maximo Londonio’s wife, Crystal (2nd from left), with migrant rights advocates from Tanggol Migrante. FILE PHOTO

Advocacy groups and union leaders have rallied in support of Londonio.

On June 15, Tanggol Migrante and community allies gathered 90 people outside the NWDC to demand his immediate release.

“I want Maximo and his family to know that his union fully supports him,” said IAM Union International President Brian Bryant. “We will be here for whatever it takes for as long as it takes. We want Max free now!”

Maximo Londonio (right) with his family | FILE PHOTO

Jhem of BAYAN Washington called on the Philippine Consulate to assist Londonio.

“The Consulate must do its job. The Consulate must intervene immediately for Kuya Max’s safety and demand his immediate removal from segregation, in addition to his immediate removal from ICE detention,” Jhem said.

Tanggol Migrante and the Londonio family quickly mobilized support after his transfer to isolation, gathering more than 900 petition signatures and securing an attorney within days.

The petition was sent to Washington state Rep. Pramila Jayapal and the Philippine Consulate. Within hours, the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project assigned Londonio an attorney, according to the group.

Jenilee from the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns (Nafcon) added: “We have been assisting families with legal support, filling out Assistance to Nationals forms and providing what the Consulate is supposed to provide.”

Tanggol Migrante said that, in contrast, the Philippine Consulate stated it could only release $300 in Assistance to Nationals (ATN) funds to Londonio’s commissary, offering it only after mounting community pressure.

“The Londonios have not received the funds, but the Consulate managed to request more government funding for personal travel and lodging to visit Max,” the group added.

Jessica Rojas of the International Migrants Alliance criticized the Consulate’s response at the rally.

“How much does a flight from San Francisco cost? More than $300. So you’re telling me that you’re going to request funds that are likely three to five times the amount you’re willing to give to Kuya Max, and it’s not even for his family or their livelihood; it’s just for the commissary. 

“So it’s basically just going back to this prison in the first place? This is why we must fight, not just to be put back into his unit before segregation… but we will not stop fighting until Max is free,” Rojas said.

Inquirer.net USA has reached out to the Consulate in San Francisco for their reaction to the migrant rights advocates’ statements.

Supporters alleged that Londonio was placed in solitary confinement after he met with Rep. Jayapal and two other representatives to raise urgent concerns about the NWDC’s conditions.

Tanggol Migrante and the Londonios claimed the transfer was retaliation for his advocacy and for exposing conditions at the detention center,including spoiled food and family separation.

“Kuya Max has friends from all over the world,” said Rojas. “He would share food with them. He created a whole network with his community. How can you say he was unsafe when he created this absolutely beautiful community? They ripped him from that, and now he’s sitting in isolation by himself!”

Londonio’s advocacy has helped others as well.

Rodante Rivera, a fellow Filipino detainee, was released from the NWDC last week after his deportation case was dismissed. It was Londonio who connected him to Tanggol Migrante.

“Though I’ve only known Max a short time, he’s a good person. I’ve seen it,” Rivera wrote in a letter of support. “He always puts others before himself, helping others, and talks of nothing but his family. He’s a genuinely good person and deserves to be released.”

Tanggol Migrante has demanded the immediate release of Londonio from isolation and ICE detention and called on the Philippine Consulate to advocate more forcefully for his safety and release.

Supporters have vowed to keep up the pressure until Londonio is reunited with his family.