HUMSI — Human Security Initiative

Human Impact Project

A living database documenting reported immigration enforcement incidents and their human impact.

76-year-old cancer patient detained by ICE at citizenship interview, misses treatments

Sep 2, 2026·Location: Fife, WA

Country of origin: Philippines

76-year-old cancer patient detained by ICE at citizenship interview, misses treatments
Photo via Newsweek

Loreto Javar, a 76-year-old Filipino national and green card holder who has lived in Fife, Washington since 1995, was detained by ICE during his U.S. citizenship interview in Tukwila. A retired hotel worker and married father of two who raised his family in the U.S. and had renewed his residency multiple times without issue, Javar has stage 4 prostate cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease requiring multiple daily medications. ICE alleges he failed to disclose a decades-old conviction related to a fatal altercation in the Philippines when he applied for his visa in 1995, though his daughter, Daisy Javar, says he has no U.S. criminal record. He has been held at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma for more than two months, missing oncology appointments due to delayed meals disrupting his medication schedule, and has developed a blood clot. Advocates with the Tanggol Migrante Movement have pressed the Philippine consulate in Seattle and pushed for his compassionate release, gathering more than 150 petition signatures. An immigration judge extended his case to September 20, which his daughter said will cause him to miss another cancer treatment appointment.

Timeline

Sep 2, 2026—Reported held over two months at Northwest ICE Processing Center, missing cancer treatments and developing a blood clot; judge extends case to September 20
Jun 23, 2026—Detained by ICE during citizenship interview in Tukwila, Washington
Suggest a correction, comment, or update

Sources

More incidents in Washington