top of page
JUSTICE FOR JOVI & DHENMARK!(1).jpg

Background

Lewelyn Dixon, referred to Aunty Lynn by her niece, has spent 50 of her 64 years residing within the States. She immigrated to Hawaii at 14 years old but now lives outside Seattle while working as a lab tech for the University of Washington. Lewelyn chose not to pursue citizenship as a promise to her grandfather to protect a family property in the Philippines (Rosenblatt, March 2025).

​

Upon returning from a trip concerning the family property in the Philippines, Lewelyn was detained at the Seattle-Tacoma (SEA-TAC) airport and moved to the Northwest ICE Detention Facility, run by the notorious GEO Group (see Ligaya's story for more info on the for-profit prison company). Lewelyn's attorney claims her previous conviction (back in 2001) for nonviolent crime has lead to ICE's detaining the 64-year-old lab technician. Lewelyn now must wait in the Northwestern until July for her hearing.

​

​

Immigration Law

IMG_2938.jpg

​

Lewelyn's niece, Emily Cristobal, works as an office manager for Hawaiian state Rep. Tina Grandinetti. Through her niece's political connections, groups like Defend Migrant Workers were able to hear about Lewelyn's story but not until weeks later. While in detention, Lewelyn has formed friendships and teaches English to other detained Filipinas; folks we have yet to learn about.  Just how many other Filipinos are out there falling through the cracks of our purposefully predatory legal system?

 

​​

​

​

 

 

​​

Hawaiian state Rep. Grandinetti is currently pushing a bill (SB816) to provide legal representation for immigrants in Hawaii. Under the 6th Amendment, folks are guaranteed the right to counsel with criminal proceedings but not civil proceedings like immigration (Gutierrez, March 2025). Although the 6th Amendment was ratified in 1791, a right to free legal counsel wasn't guaranteed until 1963 (Gideon v. Wainwright); and it wasn't applied to police interrogations until 1966 (Miranda v. Arizona). 

 

Change is achieved through a constant push and collective struggle. Through amplifying stories like Lewelyn, Defend Migrant Workers hope to further legal and political efforts like SB816 so that immigrants will be guaranteed free legal representation in the future; though our main goal is the eradication of the criminalization of our kababayan. 

Free Aunty Lynn, Free Them All!

158616.jpg

Hawaiian State Rep. Grandinetti

How Can You Help
Lewelyn?

Currently her family is advocating for: 

1) For ICE: Release Aunty Lynn while we are waiting for her court date in July OR

2) For ICE: Move up Aunty Lynn’s court date

3) To the University of Washington Medical Center: Continue to protect Aunty Lynn’s livelihood at UWMC by retaining her position while she is in detention and to be proactive & establish better protections for migrant employees 

4) Philippine Consulate: Protect PH Nationals, exert diplomatic power to demand her release from NWDC, release Assistance to Nationals funds for legal fees.

 

​

​

 

What can we do?

  • Endorse the campaign to defend Aunty Lynn: Release her from detention now! 

  • If you know Aunty Lynn, share and submit your stories and testimonies of her! We want to share about her life and all that she’s contributed to the communities she belongs to. We welcome art, photos, video recordings, songs, written testimonies, etc.

  • Organizations and individuals to write letters of support for Lewelyn’s release and against her wrongful detainment

  • Donate to support the family covering the out of pocket legal fees as well as her mortgage, which she cannot attend to because she has not been able to work for almost one month

    • Venmo: @Migrante-Seattle

    • Checks can be made out to Filipino Community Health Board and mailed to 7301 Beacon Ave S, Seattle, WA 98108

  • Attend our emergency campaign call on Thursday, March 27th at 5pm, Register here.  

  • Fellow Filipinos in Washington State can sign up to join the Tanggol Migrante Network - WA

bottom of page