UW lab tech detained by ICE after return from Philippines

A longtime University of Washington lab technician, Lewelyn Dixon, has been detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after returning from a trip to the Philippines, despite holding legal permanent residency for 50 years.

According to NBC News, the 64-year-old was arrested at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on February 28 and is now being held at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma.

Dixon’s attorney, Benjamin Osorio, explained that U.S. Customs and Border Protection likely flagged a decades-old embezzlement conviction from 2000, prompting her detention. As he told Newsweek, Dixon had removed $6,460 from a bank vault during her time at Washington Mutual, for which she served 30 days in a halfway house and paid full restitution by 2019. “If she hadn’t traveled, it wouldn’t have triggered this,” Osorio noted.

Her family, including niece Lani Madriaga, has described Dixon as the cornerstone of their household. “She’s always been our go-to,” Madriaga told NBC News, recalling how Dixon helped raise her and supported family members through divorces and financial hardship. At the time of her detention, Dixon was preparing to celebrate her 10-year anniversary at the lab, a milestone that would have secured her pension.

Dixon’s legal status complicates her situation. Though eligible for citizenship, she maintained her Filipino nationality to retain property rights in her home country, which is also a decision her lawyer says may have inadvertently put her at risk. “She probably did not understand the risk,” Osorio added, noting that at ports of entry, non-citizens may be categorized as “arriving aliens” subject to mandatory detention.

Speaking at a state hearing in Hawaii, Representative Tina Nakada Grandinetti highlighted Dixon’s case in support of SB816, a bill aimed at increasing legal aid for immigrants. “Her story is not unique,” she said, describing it as part of a broader crackdown under the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement priorities.

Dixon’s hearing is scheduled for July 17, though her attorney is advocating for an earlier date due to concerns about the impact of prolonged detention on her health and job.

“We hope Lewelyn receives due process in a timely manner,” a UW Medicine spokesperson stated, affirming her employment at the university since 2015.

For now, Dixon remains in ICE custody, translating for fellow detainees and awaiting her chance to defend her right to remain in the country she’s called home since age 14.