Demand for the Philippine Consulate to Intervene for the Immediate Release of Tatay Loreto!
Philippine Consulate, GEO Group, NWDC, ICE
Who is Tatay L?
Tatay Loreto is a 78-year-old Filipino migrant and loving father of two, a grandfather, and great-grandfather. Tatay Loreto migrated from Quezon City, Philippines to the US in 1995. Before retiring, he was a hard-working employee in the Engineering Department at the DoubleTree Hotel in SeaTac. He is currently detained at the Northwest Detention Center (despite being a green card holder), while battling stage 4 prostate cancer among other fragile medical conditions.
What happened?
Tatay was suddenly detained on June 22nd after attending what should have been a routine U.S. citizenship hearing at the USCIS building in Tukwila. His detention was made possible after the Philippine National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) provided documents and information to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Before his detention, Tatay was actively receiving treatment for his Stage 4 Prostate Cancer, but since being taken into ICE custody, that course of treatment has been interrupted. So far, he has missed two oncology appointments that occur on the 4th of every month and has recently developed a blood clot in his stomach. The appointments are crucial to conduct bloodwork and adjust his medication to prevent his cancer from further developing. In addition to his, the NWDC has failed to provide timely meals to go alongside the various medications that he is taking. Tatay has reported receiving lunch as late as 7:00 PM and dinner at 11:00 PM. ICE has denied him the correct medical treatment that is needed. Furthermore, the Seattle Philippine Consulate has yet to provide concrete support despite promising Tatay that they would help.
Analysis
Tatay Loreto's case reflects a pattern of neglect experienced by Filipino migrants detained at the Northwest Detention Center, who continue to endure delayed medical treatment, deteriorating physical and mental health, and inhumane conditions. The Philippine government and their overseas extension, the Seattle Philippine consulate, repeatedly fails to protect their nationals when they face detention, exploitation, abuse, or deportation. Instead of exercising its responsibility to support overseas Filipinos, the Marcos administration continues prioritizing its political and diplomatic relations with the United States over the rights and welfare of the Filipino people.
The Philippines' economic system has forced millions of people to leave home in search of work abroad. The Philippine government has become dependent on the labor, exploitation, and remittances of millions of overseas Filipino workers, like Tatay Loreto to sustain its economy-- while failing to create the conditions for people to sustain their livelihood at home. The biggest beneficiary of this system is the U.S government -- which relies on migrant labor to sustain its imperial domination. When migrant workers are no longer deemed useful or become targets of law enforcement- they often subjected to ICE violence. The Trump administration's 2,000 arrest per day quota has only intensified this repression. ICE functions as a tool of fascism, criminalizing working-class migrants through detention, family separation, deportation, and medical neglect.
Petition by
Sponsored by
To:
Philippine Consulate, GEO Group, NWDC, ICE
From:
[Your Name]
Free Tatay Loreto!
To the Philippine Consulate General in Seattle:
We, the undersigned, demand that the Philippine Consulate immediately intervene for the release of Tatay Loreto, a 76-year-old Filipino permanent resident who is being detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) while battling Stage IV prostate cancer, COPD, hypertension, and diabetes.
Tatay Loreto has lived in the United States since 1995. For nearly three decades, he worked, raised his family, and contributed to the community. He was detained by ICE while attending his U.S. citizenship interview—a process he pursued in good faith.
Today, instead of spending his later years surrounded by his family and receiving the medical care he needs, Tatay Loreto remains imprisoned at the Northwest Detention Center. His cancer treatment has been disrupted, his health is at risk, and his family has been forced to fight for his freedom while navigating an immigration system that continues to criminalize and separate migrant families.
Tatay Loreto's detention is not simply a family matter. It is a matter of national responsibility.
The Philippine government cannot continue celebrating overseas Filipinos for the billions of dollars they send home while abandoning them when they face detention, exploitation, abuse, and deportation abroad. The Philippine Consulate has a responsibility to protect and assist Filipinos facing state violence.
We demand that the Philippine Consulate:
1. Immediately call for Tatay Loreto's release and actively intervene with U.S. immigration authorities on his behalf.
2. Advocate for Tatay Loreto's immediate access to uninterrupted, comprehensive medical treatment without interference or unnecessary ICE surveillance.
3. Provide Tatay Loreto and his family with sustained and comprehensive consular assistance throughout his legal case and detention.
4. Secure and obtain the necessary documents and records from the Philippines needed to support Tatay Loreto's legal defense.
5. Publicly uphold the rights and dignity of Filipino migrants facing detention, abuse, and deportation in the United States.
No national should have to beg their own government to defend them.
We refuse to accept a Philippine government that depends on the labor and remittances of overseas Filipinos while failing to protect those same Filipinos when they are subjected to repression abroad.
The Marcos administration must stop abandoning Filipino migrants to U.S. state violence.
Philippine Consulate: Do your duty. Defend Tatay Loreto. Demand his immediate release.
By signing this petition, we stand with Tatay Loreto and demand that the Philippine Consulate take immediate and concrete action to secure his freedom, protect his health, and support his family.