Maximo Londonio, a lawful permanent resident detained in May at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport as he returned from a family trip to the Philippines, was released last week after nearly two months at the Northwest ICE Processing Center. On Thursday, he appeared before the media to describe the conditions he endured.
Known as “Kuya Max,” Londonio, 42, was pulled aside by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the airport on May 15 after returning from the Philippines with his wife and youngest daughter.
Union leaders with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, which he is a member of, and organizers at Tanggol Migrante Network WA, a community group supporting Filipino migrants and families, had been advocating for Londonio’s release.
Outside the Tacoma detention center on July 11, Londonio greeted a cheering crowd, hugging and shaking hands with supporters who congratulated him.
“It feels so good,” Londonio said, holding his wife Crystal’s hand. “Thank you so much for all of the support. We did it.”
On Thursday, during a virtual news conference, Londonio, his wife and supporters gave more details about his experience in ICE custody. He was in solitary confinement for nearly a month, he said.
I was an animal put in this little hole," Londonio said between long, tearful pauses. "I felt like I was in jail."
Advocates for Londonio said in May they believed he was detained because of nonviolent convictions from more than two decades ago, when he was a young adult.
Records from Santa Clara Superior Court in California show Londonio pleaded guilty in 2002 to a charge of grand theft and was sentenced to seven months in county jail. Londonio, who was 19 at the time, completed his sentence and probationary period without issue, a clerk previously told The Seattle Times.
Seated on a couch next to Londonio during the news conference, Crystal described her husband as a devoted father and someone always willing to go the extra mile.
"He is my purpose," she said through tears. "He is the strength for our children."
Londonio, who moved to the U.S. from the Philippines as a lawful permanent resident when he was 12, now works at a manufacturing company in Lacey, and is the family's primary provider. He regularly sends money to support his relatives in the Philippines, Crystal said. She and their three daughters are all U.S. citizens.
Londonio and his family have made frequent trips to the Philippines over the years. While Londonio has previously been held for secondary screenings, his advocates said he has never been stopped by U.S. Customs for more than 20 minutes.
IAM International President Brian Bryant said in a statement Monday the fact that Londonio was detained for two months without cause is unacceptable.
"This is not just a failure of the system — it’s a violation of basic human dignity," he said in the statement. "No working person should have to go through what Maximo endured in a country that claims to stand for justice and fairness."
Londonio and community advocates have heavily criticized the lack of financial support and legal aid from the Philippine Consulate in San Francisco over the course of his detention, as well as a lack of urgency to act when Londonio was in solitary confinement.
"Where were you when we needed you? When he needed you?" Crystal said.
On Friday, an immigration judge dismissed Londonio’s case during a short hearing in one of the detention center's courtrooms, said Noah Ajeto, a member of Tanggol Migrante Network WA.
“The case was dismissed (almost) as soon as they walked in,” Ajeto said earlier this week. “They didn't even need to take time to discuss it.
Since returning to office, President Donald Trump has launched an aggressive immigration crackdown, including detaining people not targeted by previous administrations. A majority of people, about 72%, currently held in ICE detention have no criminal convictions, according to the latest ICE figures.
ICE and CBP officers have also increasingly been detaining green-card holders — legal permanent residents — who have long-resolved criminal records, in some cases from decades ago.
“Possessing a green card is a privilege, not a right,” a July post on X from Customs and Border Protection read. “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.”
Londonio’s detention was similar to that of Lewelyn Dixon, a University of Washington lab technician and lawful permanent resident whose arrest drew national attention.
She was detained at Sea-Tac in February after returning from a trip to the Philippines. Both Londonio and Dixon had traveled multiple times between the U.S. and the Philippines without issue, advocates said.
Dixon, who had a 25-year-old conviction for embezzling $6,500 from a bank, was released from the ICE detention center in Tacoma on May 29.
“It just speaks to the unjustness of what’s going on,” Ajeto said. “How do you have someone like Max or Lewelyn Dixon who traveled many times but (with the start) of the second iteration of the Trump administration, now they’re being deemed a threat to this country?”
Information from The Seattle Times archives was included in this report.
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