ACRS condemns the unjust detention of Lewelyn Dixon and demands her immediate release
As a service provider and trusted messenger to Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander community members, we are outraged by the escalating targeting and unjust detention of community members by federal immigration enforcement agencies. These actions are separating families, creating panic and distrust, and inflicting lasting harm on the mental health and well-being of our communities.
Lewelyn Dixon, a UW lab technician and permanent U.S. legal resident for over 50 years, was returning home to Seattle from the Philippines in February 2025 when she was detained at the airport. She was held there for two days without explanation before being transferred to ICE’s custody and sent to the Northwest Detention Center, where she remains. Lewelyn was denied a bail hearing and has to wait until July for her first hearing. Until then, she remains detained despite having no current charges or violations.
Lewelyn’s attorney has publicly stated that federal immigration enforcement likely detained her due to an old conviction on her record upon her return. However, she had pleaded guilty to the nonviolent offense in 2000 and complied with the court’s orders to pay restitution. We do not doubt that Lewelyn’s unjust detention is another attempt by this administration to villainize immigrants as criminals and push their own political agenda.
Lewelyn Dixon, along with all of our detained community members separated from their loved ones, deserves more. As our siblings at Tanggol Migrante Network have said, “She has entrusted this country with her life, labor, and talents. With over 50 years of her life dedicated to service to the people here, Auntie Lynn should be rewarded for her work. But instead, she is criminalized and discarded simply for being a migrant.”
We demand the immediate release of Lewelyn Dixon from the custody of ICE and ask that our elected leaders do everything in their power to ensure that she is released. Her family has asked that, at the very least, she be given an earlier court date so she doesn’t remain detained for over three months at the Northwest Detention Center.
Please join us in taking action for Lewelyn Dixon by:
- Sending a letter to elected leaders demanding her immediate release: www.tinyurl.com/ReleaseLewelynNow
- Signing on to a community letter to support her release and livelihood by April 1st: www.tinyurl.com/DEfendAuntyLynn
- Donating to support her legal fees and livelihood via Venmo @migrante-seattle
