ICE releases health worker arrested at airport despite living in the U.S. legally for 50 years
Lewelyn Dixon, a 64-year-old University of Washington lab technician, was released on Thursday from the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Washington, after a judge ruled that she does not qualify for deportation.
Dixon, who's had legal permanent status in the U.S. for 50 years, had been in ICE custody since late February, when she was detained after coming back from a visit to the Philippines.
Outside the detention facility, Dixon thanked a crowd of supporters and spoke about her experience and the conditions in the facility.
'It was horrific; it was awful, it is crowded -- super crowded, they release maybe nine, bring back seven, release one, they bring three,' she said, according to local NBC affiliate King5.
Dixon's niece Lani Madriaga told NBC News that in the hours since her release, she's been spending time with loved ones.
'Last night, we had dinner together as a family and just chatted,' Madriaga said on Friday. 'She's just getting readjusted.'
Benjamin Osorio, Dixon's attorney, previously told NBC News that a decades-old embezzlement conviction likely caught the attention of U.S. Customs and Border Protection at the airport, triggering her detention.
Dixon had been a vault teller and operations supervisor at Washington Mutual Bank at the time and 'removed cash from the vault on eight separate occasions' without the bank's authorization, according to her plea agreement. She removed a total of $6,460.
While Dixon pleaded guilty to the nonviolent offense in 2000, she was ordered to pay restitution and spend 30 days in a halfway house, court documents show. By 2019, she completed her payments.
Dixon has been in the U.S. since she was a teenager and has long been eligible for citizenship, but she promised her father that she would maintain her Filipino nationality so that she could retain property in her native country. However, Osorio said, Dixon likely did not understand the risk involved with staying on a green card.
Madriaga said the ordeal has been emotional for her aunt, but it's also given her a renewed purpose in helping detainees. During her time in ICE custody, Dixon attempted to help others navigate the immigration and court system, Madriaga said. Dixon plans on staying in touch with the detainees at the Tacoma facility, with whom she said she grew close.
'I don't think it's going to stop her from helping others, even though she's been out,' the niece said.
The case has been shocking for her family, particularly because Dixon had kept her conviction a secret from them.
'We don't think her any different after we found out about her conviction,' Madriaga said. 'She turned it all around and … she really worked hard and really focused on health care, where it's really about helping the community.'
In fact, Madriaga said, Dixon plans to head back to work soon. In the meantime, Dixon's first priority is obtaining her citizenship.
Dixon is among several other green-card holders who have been detained amid the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration. Earlier this month, Maximo Londonio, 42, was also detained at an airport in Seattle after coming back from vacation with his family. Londonio, a green-card holder, was likely detained due to previous nonviolent convictions, his family members believe.
Another legal permanent resident, Fabian Schmidt, was detained in March after being arrested at the Boston Logan International Airport. The German national, who had a previous misdemeanor marijuana conviction, was released in May, after he filed a motion to terminate the immigration proceedings.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
3 hours ago
- The Guardian
Afghan translator who worked for US military detained by Ice in Connecticut
An Afghan wartime translator granted a US immigration visa after risking his life to help US troops has been detained by masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) agents, in the latest sign that the Trump administration is willing to flout legal agreements and promises to allies in pursuit of its unprecedented immigration crackdown. Identified only as Zia S, the 35-year-old husband and father of five who entered the US in October 2024 with a visa issued by American authorities was arrested and taken away in a van last week after a routine biometrics appointment for his green card in East Hartford, Connecticut, according to his attorney, members of Congress and human-rights advocates. A judge has issued a temporary stay preventing Zia's removal from the United States, but he remains in detention at a facility in Plymouth, Massachusetts. The former wartime interpreter fled Afghanistan with his family after the Taliban takeover in 2021. Zia legally entered the US in October 2024 through JFK airport with humanitarian parole – and an approved special immigrant visa (SIV). This visa is a pathway to permanent residency, or a green card, for certain foreign nationals who have worked for the US government or military in specific capacities, particularly in Iraq and Afghanistan. 'What happened to him is the worst kind of abhorrent violation of basic decency,' said the Democratic senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut on Tuesday. 'He actually worked and risked his life in Afghanistan to uphold the values and rights that are central to democracy.' Zia is the third known Afghan ally who helped US troops to have been seized by Ice since Trump returned to power, amid growing outrage at the administration's actions. Jahana Hayes, a Democratic member of Congress for Connecticut, said she had been contacted by Zia's family because they didn't know where Ice had taken him. 'Our credibility is at stake. We have families who have risked everything not just for themselves, but for their entire family … in the name of standing up for the promises of our American democracy,' Hayes said. In a statement to Reuters, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the Afghan national entered the US on 8 October 2024, and is under investigation for a 'serious criminal allegation', adding: 'All of his claims will be heard by a judge. Any Afghan who fears persecution is able to request relief.' Zia's attorney Lauren Petersen said she had no idea what the DHS was referring to. 'Zia has done everything right. He's followed the rules. He has no criminal history,' said Petersen, adding that he was approved for humanitarian parole due to a direct threat from Afghanistan's Taliban rulers. 'If he is deported … he faces death.' Sign up to This Week in Trumpland A deep dive into the policies, controversies and oddities surrounding the Trump administration after newsletter promotion More than 70,000 Afghans were granted permission to enter the US under Joe Biden's 'Operation Allies Welcome' initiative, which followed the bungled America exit and subsequent Taliban takeover in 2021. Some, like Zia, have a SIV and pathway to permanent residency, while about 12,000 or so have temporary protected status (TPS) – a type of work visa granted to people already in the US who cannot return to their home countries due to armed conflicts, natural disasters or other extraordinary events. The Trump administration is seeking to terminate TPS status for multiple countries including Venezuela, Haiti and Afghanistan – despite ongoing unstable and dangerous conditions in those countries.
The Independent
3 hours ago
- The Independent
Terrifying moment dad pleads with ICE agents to let his child out of the car at daycare before they arrest him
Shocking video captured the moment immigration officers detained an Oregon father as he was dropping his young child off at daycare - and he pleaded for them to let the child out before taking him into custody for deportation. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents stopped Mahdi Khanbabazadeh on July 15 while he was driving his child to Guidepost Montessori school in Beaverton, a suburb of Portland. The alarming footage, obtained by Oregon Public Broadcasting, shows the 38-year-old chiropractor asking ICE agents to 'wait for three minutes' because 'there is a baby in the car.' After the child was removed from the car, ICE officers can be seen cracking open the driver's side window. In the final clip, taken by a witness, the onlooker can be heard exclaiming: 'This is not OK, and no one here will identify themselves to me,' as masked agents handcuff Khanbabazadeh and take him away. Khanbabazadeh, a citizen of Iran, entered the U.S. on a student visa, which ICE claims he overstayed. Meanwhile, his family says he is married to a citizen and has already applied and interviewed for a green card. The clips, three taken on a dashcam and one by a witness, were provided to Oregon Public Broadcasting by Khanbabazadeh's family and authenticated by the outlet. Khanbabazadeh's arrest marks the first by ICE outside an Oregon school, as until earlier this year, federal policy prohibited immigration officials from making arrests near certain locations, including schools, houses of worship and hospitals. The incident began around 8:17 a.m. as Khanbabazadeh was in the car with his child in the backseat and pulled over by cops, according to the video's timestamp. 'Daddy, police!' the child exclaims from the back as officers tell Khanbabazadeh to roll his window down further. 'Yeah, that's police,' Khanbabazadeh replies while grabbing his identification for the agents and telling them he is headed to his child's day care. The cops let him continue to the school, where they again approached the car. A second clip, recorded at 8:32 a.m. in the daycare's parking lot, shows the father pleading with officers to hold off on their arrest as he waits for someone to pick up his child. Khanbabazadeh tells the youngster that mom is on the way. 'There is a baby in the car,' he says. 'Is it hard to wait for three minutes?' Another dashcam clip captured ICE officers smashing the driver's side window of the car after Khanbabazadeh's child had gotten out. The dad tells agents he is getting out, and one officer replies: 'We told you three times. Unbuckle your seat belt and step out of the car.' The final clip, taken by a witness, shows Khanbabazadeh standing next to a black SUV being handcuffed and led away by ICE officers, some of whom are wearing masks. Khanbabazadeh is currently being held at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Washington, though his family is pressing for his release from the facility. ICE did not immediately return a request for comment from The Independent. In a press release the day after the arrest, ICE stated it initially attempted to arrest Khanbabazadeh during a traffic stop, but decided to allow him to drop his son off at preschool first. 'Officers allowed him to proceed to the daycare parking lot where he stopped cooperating, resisted arrest and refused to exit his vehicle, resulting in ICE officers making entry by breaking one of the windows to complete the arrest,' a spokesperson for ICE said. The horrifying incident left the local community rattled, especially parents at Guidepost Montessori School who witnessed the arrest. Randy Kornfield was dropping his grandchild off at school at the time of the arrest and saw agents get into a tense exchange with a teacher who had asked them to identify themselves. He described the arrest as 'heartless,' to Oregon Public Broadcasting. Other parents also expressed their concerns after witnessing the upsetting arrest of a fellow parent. 'I feel like a day care, which is where young children are taken care of, should be a safe place,' Natalie Berning said after dropping off her daughter at the Montessori in Beaverton Friday morning. 'Not only is it traumatizing for the family, it's traumatizing for all the other children as well.' Kellie Burns, who has two children attending the preschool, said her husband was there and heard the glass shatter. 'More than anything, we want to express how unnecessarily violent and inhumane this was,' she said. 'Everyone felt helpless. Everyone was scared.' Guidepost Global Education, which oversees the Montessori school, called the incident 'deeply upsetting.' 'We understand that this incident raises broader questions about how law enforcement actions intersect with school environments,' CEO Maris Mendes said in a statement. 'It is not lost on us how frightening and confusing this experience may have been for those involved — especially for the young children who may have witnessed it while arriving at school with their parents.'
The Guardian
4 hours ago
- The Guardian
Videos reveal harsh conditions inside Ice's New York City confinement center
Two videos have surfaced shedding light on what is happening behind closed doors at a New York federal building where people are being confined after being seized by officers on their way out of immigration court on the 12th floor, with the footage offering a rare look inside a controversial and closely guarded space that is part of Donald Trump's anti-immigration crackdown. The filming, shared by the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), captures one of several rooms at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan, on the building's 10th floor, where accounts have emerged of people being detained in wholly unsuitable conditions with few basic provisions, but there had been no public access to direct evidence. The footage in question shows about two dozen men confined in bare rooms, some lying on the floor wrapped in aluminum emergency blankets while others sit on benches, the City reported on Tuesday. One clip shows two toilets just feet away from where people sleep, separated by a low wall. The video was secretly recorded by a man who had been detained after an immigration court appearance last week, according to the City, which first obtained the footage from the NYIC. The man who filmed the scenes had reportedly managed to have a phone in his possession despite the usual protocol by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) of confiscating personal items at arrest. Reports of people being held for protracted periods in deprived conditions in the Manhattan building have followed weeks of controversy about Ice officers turning up at immigration courts across the country, where they are usually not present, and apprehending people. The footage shows people held in the same building as one of the main immigration courts in New York City. It was sent to state assembly member Catalina Cruz's office. Until now, photos or videos from the 10th floor have not emerged in public. 'The American dream,' the unseen and unnamed detainee says as he films. 'Immigration, 26 Federal Plaza.' In a separate audio message also shared with the City , the same man adds: 'They haven't given us food, they haven't given us medicine. We're cold. There are people who've been here for 10, 15 days inside. We're just waiting.' Concerns about what goes on inside the federal building had been growing. Advocates, attorneys and immigrants themselves have described the 10th floor as overcrowded, with no beds, showers, or adequate access to food or healthcare. 'Ice is kidnapping so many people from New York's immigration courts that they had to create a new detention facility on the 10th floor of 26 Federal Plaza. But instead of sharing the truth with the public, Ice has skirted accountability by consistently lying about what's happening on the 10th floor, and breaking the law by not allowing Congress members to view the conditions,' said Murad Awawdeh, president of the NYIC, in a statement. 'The 10th floor detention facility must be shut down immediately, and regularly inspected to ensure that Ice adheres to federal guidelines as mandated by law,' Awawdeh added. Leaked footage confirms what we've known all along: 26 Federal Plaza is a secret detention site where immigrants are being held in overcrowded, inhumane conditions. @DHSgov has spent months lying to cover it up. We need answers. We demand accountability. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in earlier statements about the facility that 'any claim that there is overcrowding or sub-prime conditions is categorically false'. Ice also maintains that the 10th floor is not used for detention. Officially, the agency describes the space as a processing center, and therefore not subject to congressional inspection rules that apply to detention facilities, where national lawmakers have to be allowed to visit. '26 Federal Plaza is not a detention center. It is a federal building with an Ice law enforcement office inside of it,' said McLaughlin. But data from Ice detention logs analyzed by the City revealed that from September 2023 through late June this year, people were held there in what Ice calls the 'NYC Hold Room' for an average of 29 hours. Some stayed for several days. Sign up to This Week in Trumpland A deep dive into the policies, controversies and oddities surrounding the Trump administration after newsletter promotion The space remains off-limits to both journalists and lawmakers, even though members of Congress are supposed to be allowed to make unannounced visits to detention sites. Several Democrat representatives have been denied entry. Detainees and advocates continue to speak about grim conditions, including sparse food offerings, no showers or clothing changes, and people crammed into a single room with only the floor or hard benches to rest on, according to Gothamist. Meanwhile, Ice has been granted a huge budget boost. Trump's so-called 'big, beautiful bill' dedicates roughly $170bn for immigration and border-related operations – a sum that would make Ice the most heavily funded law enforcement agency in the federal government. This article was amended on 23 July 2025. A previous version showed an image of a different confinement center. The best public interest journalism relies on first-hand accounts from people in the know. If you have something to share on this subject you can contact us confidentially using the following methods. Secure Messaging in the Guardian app The Guardian app has a tool to send tips about stories. Messages are end to end encrypted and concealed within the routine activity that every Guardian mobile app performs. This prevents an observer from knowing that you are communicating with us at all, let alone what is being said. If you don't already have the Guardian app, download it (iOS/Android) and go to the menu. Select 'Secure Messaging'. SecureDrop, instant messengers, email, telephone and post See our guide at for alternative methods and the pros and cons of each.
