SEATAC, Wash. — A Western Washington man detained by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at SEA Airport has sparked outrage throughout the Filipino community.
According to friends and family, Maximo Londonio, who goes by Max, has been in custody for days, and there is no clear answer if and when he will be released.
KIRO 7’s Jake Chapman has been pressing CBP for answers, and they are working on telling us exactly why they detained a man who is not only a green card carrier, but has been married to an American citizen for over 20 years.
Frustrated friends and family gathered outside of the Seattle-Tacoma Airport (SEA) Monday evening to demand justice for Max, chanting “Free Max now” and calling out both CBP and the Filipino consulate to help this family.
Max was detained by Customs and Border Protection on May 15 at SEA after he and his family returned back from a vacation to the Philippines.
His family claims that he was taken away over a non-violent offense that was settled nearly two decades ago.
His wife Crystal spoke to the crowd about how hard the past few days had been for her and their family, and how her husband’s detainment impacts everyone.
“It’s being taken from everybody that seeks refuge here. That seeks freedom. That seeks equality,” said Crystal Londonio. “I’m tired of waiting. I want him home.”
Tanggol Migrante (TMN), a campaign network to defend Filipino migrant workers, is supporting the family’s efforts to get Max home.
TMN shared Max’s story — a 42-year-old green card holder based in Olympia, Washington who immigrated to the United States from the Philippines at 12 years old. He is a father of three daughters, has been married to a U.S. citizen for over 20 years, and has worked in Lacey for the past five years, where is he a lead member of his local union.
According to his wife, they have made trips to the Philippines before, where Max was only stopped by CBP for a brief amount of time. Max reportedly has previous nonviolent convictions from when he was a young adult, which have been resolved and he has satisfied all requirements — that supposedly caused the flag to his detention.
His wife says that CBP has given the family limited information, and now, there is growing fear he could be moved to the Northwest ICE Detention Center in Tacoma.
We reached out to Customs and Border Protection, who shared the following statement on Tuesday:
“Federal privacy restrictions prohibit CBP from discussing specifics of most traveler’s admissibility inspection, but this much we can confirm.
All persons arriving at a port of entry to the United States are 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 [Section 291 of the INA (8 USC 1361)]. The INA lists more than 60 grounds of inadmissibility divided into several major categories.
Lawful permanent residency for foreign citizens in the United States is a privilege. Under federal immigration law, lawful permanent residents convicted of offenses considered to be crimes involving moral turpitude, can legally lose their status and be removed. CIMTs include crimes such as grand theft and use and/or distribution of controlled substances."
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