After three months of community and union protests, Lewelyn Dixon, a migrant worker from the Philippines and a Service Employees International Union (SEIU) member, was finally allowed to walk out of the Northwest Immigration and Customs Enforcement Processing Center in Tacoma, Washington, on May 29.
SEIU led the Philadelphia rally, not only for Aunty Lynn but for all those facing immigration injustices. May 29, 2025. (WW Photo: Joe Piette)
Affectionately called “Aunty Lynn” by her community, after visiting relatives in the Philippines, the 64-year-old worker was stopped at the Seattle airport on Feb. 28 and placed in ICE detention.
Dixon was one of thousands of migrant workers swept up in the Trump administration’s racist war against immigrant students and workers. Her release was won because her community and her union fought back against the unjust ICE action.
Dixon moved to the U.S. with her family fifty years ago when she was 14 and is a green card holder — a legal permanent resident. She is eligible to become a naturalized U.S. citizen, but she promised her grandfather she would keep her Philippine citizenship.
Worker solidarity
A lab technician at the University of Washington Medical Center and longtime SEIU 925 member, her struggle to get out of ICE custody drew national attention, including from as far away as Philadelphia.
Several dozen community and union activists held a rally outside the Philadelphia ICE offices on May 29, organized by SEIU, Make the Road PA and other groups. Speakers included Wei Chen of Asian Americans United, Ella from the Tanggol Migrante Network and Richard Genetti, American Federation of Government Employees. Chants included, “When we fight, we win!”
Union support for people picked up by ICE — from migrant workers to student activists for Palestine — is a welcome development. The worker activism that helped win Dixon’s release is an example of what is needed in the struggle to fight back against the racist, sexist, anti-trans, ableist, anti-labor, fascist, pro-war, genocidal Trump administration.
Aunty Lynn is free, but the struggle continues for thousands more who have been targeted by an unjust and inhumane immigration system.