Update on Brother Max

Advocates and family believe Maximo Londonio, Machinist detained at the NW Detention Center since May, is facing retaliation

TACOMA, WA (June 17, 2025) — On June 14, IAM Local Lodge 695 member Maximo Londonio was moved into a higher security setting at the NW Detention Center (NWDC) in Tacoma, in what his family and advocates believe is retaliation for speaking out about conditions inside the privately-run facility. Supporters rallied Sunday at NWDC to call out the private company GEO Group, which operates the detention center for a profit, for the deplorable conditions those held inside face and for what advocates describe as a pattern of retaliation.

“It’s Father’s Day. A day where we’re supposed to be celebrating him, how important he is to our lives,” said Crystal Londonio, Max’s wife of 20 years and mother to their daughters at the rally. “Today was supposed to be a day we spent together as a family. And that has been taken away from us.”

In a statement, Tanggol Migrante Network WA (TMN WA), a community group supporting Filipino immigrants and migrants facing detention and deportation, said that Brother Max “was transferred to a ‘higher security’ and ‘segregated area’ due to profiling, after a conversation Londonio had with Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal. Londonio advocated regarding the NWDC detainees being deprived of medical care, fed spoiled or delayed meals, and not having air conditioning.”

TMN WA and Londonio’s family fear his transfer to isolation not only puts Londonio at greater risk of violence, but is a clear act of retaliation for speaking to the Congresswoman. They’re calling on Congress and the Filipino Consulate to intervene, ensure Brother Max’s rights are respected and that he is returned to his previous unit, and ultimately secure his release.

For now, Brother Max remains detained. He has a hearing June 20, but currently does not have legal representation, per TMN WA. Donations are being collected to help fund his legal fight.

“We know how loving [Max] is, how caring and compassionate,” said Crystal Londonio at Sunday’s rally. “Even from within, he will not break. We will not break. We will not allow this to happen. We will fight and continue to fight for his release, to be home with us, his family, his friends, his community. He deserves that. Everybody deserves that.”