The arrest of a Filipino individual who has resided in the U.S. for five decades highlights the significant change in immigration enforcement policies during the Trump administration, according to analysts.
The arrest of a 64-year-old
Philippine
A long-time green card holder who has resided in the U.S. for 50 years has sparked concern within Filipino and Asian-American groups regarding the stability of their immigration standing.
Onlookers indicate that this case underscores the significant change in U.S. immigration enforcement policies during President Trump’s administration.
Donald Trump
, where even legally registered immigrants are now vulnerable to being ensnared in politically driven enforcement measures. Scholars specializing in law have cautioned that the swift progression and extensive reach of these initiatives—frequently justified under ambiguous legal premises—are undermining longstanding safeguards for fair treatment under the law.
Officials of the US
Immigrations
On February 28, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) apprehended Lewelyn Dixon, aged 64, when she was arriving at her residence in Seattle, Washington, following a visit to the Philippines.
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Her niece, Emily Cristobal, informed local media that she was in the Philippines for several weeks prior to being detained, and her family only learned of the situation involving her on March 2nd.
Officials did not disclose to Dixon’s family the reason for her detention; however, her attorney, Benjamin Osorio, suggested it might be linked to an earlier embezzlement conviction from 2001. For this offense, she received a sentence of serving 30 days in a halfway house and was also ordered to pay a fine of $6,400.
Osorio mentioned that Dixon had traveled internationally before without any problems.
James Zarsadiaz, who leads the Yuchengco Philippine Studies Program at the University of San Francisco, informed This Week in Asia that Dixon’s case has sparked worries among Filipinos and other lawfully residing Asian immigrants in the U.S., questioning if their proper adherence to the immigration procedures provides them with adequate safeguards.
Overall, when looking beyond racial boundaries, people express some worry regarding the magnitude and pace of these Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations. However, it remains uncertain how laws and procedures will play out since the judicial system presents an obstacle to what the Trump administration aims to achieve, as stated by Zarsadiaz.
“There is significant fear among the Filipino community due to the swift and substantial implementation of Trump’s mass deportation initiative,” stated the chairperson of Filipino progressive alliance Bayan USA, who requested anonymity under the pseudonym Andan Bagoyo.
Bagoyo informed This Week in Asia that his organization had been gearing up their campaign network to protect migrant workers in key US cities well before Trump secured the election victory.
He mentioned that his organization thought Dixon had been detained because her case was seen as an easy target to fulfill detention quotas.
“No matter their status, the Trump administration is portraying migrants as criminals and villains merely because they are attempting to support their loved ones,” he stated.
The Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and a political science professor at Adelphi University, Vincent Wei-cheng Wang, described Dixon’s situation as “especially troubling,” since her detention in February violated two significant unwritten rules.
“Initially, green card holders, despite lacking the full legal rights of U.S. citizens, were granted greater flexibility compared to non-citizens. She acquired her permanent residency through lawful methods — following the process outlined by the Trump administration,” he explained.
Wang further stated that Dixon’s embezzlement from many years back, for which she had made amends through repayment and completed her sentence, was insignificant compared to the image Trump often portrays of Venezuelan criminals.
Earlier this month, Trump commanded the deportation of numerous Venezuelans due to supposed connections with gangs, referencing the 1798 Alien Enemies Act.
Wang cautioned that the haphazard approach of Trump’s enforcement could lead many legal immigrants in the U.S. to feel insecure and might prompt some to pursue citizenship.
Grey area
Nevertheless, the typical immigrant had little to be concerned about, according to Filipino-American immigration lawyer Jath Shao.
Shao described Dixon’s situation as “a grey area” since she had already atoned for her wrongdoing.
He stated that even though arrests have increased because of ICE quotas established by the White House, the Trump administration did not actually deport more individuals compared to Joe Biden’s administration.
“However, the deportation process will require several years of legal proceedings,” he noted.
Shao mentioned that over 1,100 Filipinos are at risk of deportation — a figure that remains relatively minor when contrasted with the approximately 4 million Filipino-Americans residing in the United States.
As of 2022, approximately 1.7 million Asian individuals reside in the United States without documentation. According to Pew’s estimations for that same year, there were around 725,000 undocumented immigrants from India, 375,000 from China, 110,000 from South Korea, and 130,000 from the Philippines.
Dixon’s case is not isolated. There has been an uptick in incidents where Asian immigrants have reportedly become targets for ICE agents, including a 21-year-old student at Columbia University.
Yunseo Chung
And activist Mahmoud Khalil — who were detained following their participation in pro-Palestinian demonstrations.
Attorneys representing Chung submitted a legal complaint on Monday aiming to prevent deportations and halt what they described as “a systemic approach of focusing on individuals linked to demonstrations supporting Palestinian rights” for immigration enforcement actions.
A federal judge decided in
favour
Regarding Chung, who relocated to the United States from South Korea when he was seven years old, and obtained a temporary restraining order preventing the government from holding him back.
Trump “is trying to sidestep immigration law in the cases of
Mahmoud Khalil
Yunseo Chung, and others,” Shao stated, noting that the present government was trying to rationalize these deportations by resurrecting an outdated law that had previously been employed to detain Japanese-Americans during World War II.
Bagoyo highlighted the necessity of addressing the “good immigrant versus bad immigrant” rhetoric promoted not only by US authorities but also by Filipino officials like Ambassador to the US Jose Romualdez and Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs Eduardo de Vega.
Romualdez stated on Tuesday that “a significant amount” of undocumented Filipinos have been held and are being prepared for deportation, though he chose not to provide exact numbers.
At the same time, De Vega minimized the significance of the deportation of 24 Filipinos from the U.S. during Trump’s tenure, stating that this group was a small fraction compared to those Filipinos who resided there lawfully. She also noted that these deportations occurred under the Biden administration’s watch.
Trump and immigration
Even though Trump prioritized immigration as a key campaign topic during last year’s presidential election, Wang noted that “not many predicted the extent and intensity of the enforcement measures.”
He noted that Trump played a role in fostering an overall anti-immigrant sentiment by bypassing proper legal procedures in deportation proceedings.
He noted that his portrayal of undocumented immigrants who have committed crimes, particularly when compared with the lenient approach during the previous Biden administration, clearly struck a chord with a significant segment of American voters.
Nevertheless, despite “increased worry among Filipinos regarding immigration,” those who cast their votes for Trump in November were not expected to withdraw their backing of him, according to Zarsadiaz.
“If you were Filipino and supported Trump, then in their view—regardless of your ethnicity—they approve of detaining those who are undocumented or have a ‘shady’ history. This aligns with why they voted for him,” he stated.
Wang cautioned that although Dixon’s case “could have a intimidating impact on the Asian-American community: No one feels secure, and an error made years ago might return to cause trouble.”
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