cesses on its one-year anniversary. • Photo by Adrian Ellis Alarilla.
February 13, 2026, marked the one-year anniversary of the Tanggol Migrante Movement (TMM). Members and supporters filled the room at the Centilia Cultural Center, part of El Centro de la Raza in Beacon Hill, to celebrate TMM’s successes. Attendees were undeterred by the risk of heightened Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity nationwide.
In addition to dinner and a blessing from the Crossroads Social Justice Ministry, the evening’s program included speeches and well wishes from migrants that TMM has helped, as well as remarks from various organizations representing migrant, labor, medical, and education sectors, including such as Migrante sa U, Filipino American Educators of Washington, Anakbayan Western Washington University, National Alliance for Filipino Concerns, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Union Local 695, Washington Federation of State Employees Solidarity Committee, International Migrants Alliance, and Comunidad Sin Fronteras Washington.
There were also recorded messages from local politicians, including State Rep. Edwin Obras (D-33rd District), who is the only Filipino American in the Washington state legislature, and U.S. Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, who has been an outspoken critic of ICE and the for-profit detention centers it works with. The Malaya Freedom Band also performed an original song, and local poet, attorney, and organizer Troy Osaki performed a spoken word piece reflecting on state repression and Asian migrant exclusion.
Lessons learned from one year of organizing
Levin Betron, the regional coordinator for the organization Bayan Washington, recapped the highlights of the past year. TMM was created as an alliance of grassroots organizations, brought together in response to the attacks on migrant communities by the Trump administration’s anti-immigration policies, which include increased funding for ICE and an expanded and aggressive approach to detention and deportation. Since its founding, around 19 organizations from across the state have joined TMM. They have held Know-Your-Rights trainings, learned about the immigration court system, formed strategies to navigate both the U.S. and Philippine bureaucracy, held rallies, made petitions, conducted phone campaigns, and most importantly, helped out migrants who were wrongfully detained by ICE. To date, TMM has helped free six Filipino migrants.
“There were times when I wanted to give up”
One of those Filipino migrants was Kuya (meaning ‘older brother’) Max Londonio, who was the evening’s keynote speaker. Londonio recounted moving to the US when he was 12 years old. Then, as he shared, “I made a childhood mistake… It was minor, non-violent. I paid for it already and was absolved of it.” He thought that was all behind him. He grew up, built his career, and started a family. Then, on May 15, 2025, he was suddenly taken into custody at the Seattle-Tacoma Airport upon his return from a family vacation to the Philippines with his wife and daughter.
Londonio described his ordeal. “I was held in Customs at the airport for five days. During that time, I ate only once and showered only once. There was no communication with anyone.” But as bad as it was in Customs, he said he did not expect things to get worse at the Northwest Detention Center (NWDC) in Tacoma. He was actually put into isolation and not allowed to talk to anybody. If he had not requested for food and a shower, he would not have been given any. And even when requests were granted, the facilities were substandard and the food was terrible.
“Detention was dark and difficult. There were times when I wanted to give up. But people gave me hope. That’s all of you guys,” Londonio said, addressing the audience. “I felt it.”
Little did he know that while he was being detained with no news from outside, his wife, Crystal Londonio, had already acted decisively. She reached out to IAM Union Local 695, which Londonio was part of, which immediately worked with his employer to maintain his job during his absence. She also sought out TMM, which organized to help him and his family. Eventually, Londonio’s family was able to get in contact with him, and get him representation at immigration court. He was finally freed on July 11, 2025.
While Londonio expressed gratitude to his family, his union, and TMM, he was very frustrated with the Philippine consulate, saying that “they do not protect their own people… we were neglected and abandoned.” He described a conversation he had with the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco’s Assistance to Nationals officer, Bernice Santayana, while in detention: “she only said to me that ‘we’re here to see what the U.S. can do, because we’re in the U.S., we’re not in the Philippines.’” But although he is disappointed, Londonio is not discouraged, declaring: “To our government who abandoned us: We are strong, we are united, we are resilient. We won’t keep getting ignored.”
Kuya Greggy Sorio is free
Another detainee that the Philippine Consulate said they were powerless to help was Kuya Greggy Sorio, who was detained by ICE back in March. TMM had been campaigning for him, and had even successfully halted his deportation flight back in December 2025. Then, in the middle of the program that evening, Noah Ajeto, chairperson of grassroots organization Migrante Southcenter and member of TMM, announced that after almost one year of Sorio experiencing unjust detention and medical neglect while inside the NWDC, his habeas petition was granted and was immediately released from the NWDC that same evening. Amazingly, he came straight to the TMM celebration. As he was greeted with loud applause and a standing ovation, Sorio spoke a few words of gratitude: “I just want to say thank you to everyone. I’m speechless.”
The fight continues
While Sorio is free again, the fight continues. He still needs to get the medical care and treatment that was withheld from him while he was in detention. He also needs to reopen his legal case to make sure that ICE does not attempt to detain or deport him again.
Moreover, there are still Filipino migrants detained in NWDC that need help. Two of them shared their recorded messages with the attendees that evening, such as Kuya Roel, who said, “I don’t have any relations here in Seattle, but I have you guys.” Kuya Lu offered words of encouragement: “Keep the resistance going.” TMM continues to fundraise for all of these migrants, not only for their commissary funds, but also for their legal expenses.
“Tanggol Migrante has shown me the strength to be a fighter for all our kababayan (countryment) and all migrants in the detention center,” said Londonio. “It’s important for us to show our kababayan they are not alone. Being a migrant is not wrong. Wanting a better life is not wrong. So we must know our rights, know how to advocate for ourselves and others.”
The Filipino Community Health Board also announced at the end of the program that they are opening a Bayanihan Community Center in 2026. The center will be a home for the Filipino migrant community: a place for community gathering, health services, legal services, and food access. Bayanihan is a concept that is unique to Filipino culture, and refers to the communal spirit of selfless cooperation. In words and in action, TMM and its member organizations prove that the bayanihan spirit lives on among Filipino migrants.
Filipino organizations who are interested in joining TMM could contact them at [email protected].
Adrian Alarilla, PhD, is a program evaluator, writer, researcher, and filmmaker. Born and raised in the Philippines, he is currently based south of in Seattle, and has a PhD in History from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Besides contributing to the International Examiner, he is an associate with Alaska-based consulting firm Stellar Group, and has worked with Tribal, governmental, and nongovernmental agencies in Alaska, Hawaiʻi, and the Pacific Islands.
