TORONTO– “If I’m dying, how can anyone know?”

This is the question asked by Kuya G, a Filipino migrant who has been detained for several months at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma while suffering from severe medical conditions. He had experienced bloody stools for over two months while detained, and has been denied medical care countless times by ICE and the Philippine consulate. 

“Northwest Detention Center Medical Staff intentionally failed to give him proper medication, and, instead, provided laxatives and vitamins, which either exacerbated or did nothing to treat his actual medical condition. Meanwhile, we made monthly calls and demands to the Philippine Consulate embassy to intervene and to provide necessary and comprehensive medical attention. But unfortunately, we were met with silence,” Cora Cabellon of the Malaya Movement Tacoma said in a press conference, October 31.

After those months of neglect, he was finally admitted to St. Joseph’s Medical Center through the ER. After multiple tests and procedures, he was discovered to have contracted ulcerative colitis, which has the potential to develop into colon cancer. A week after being discharged, his foot swelled, impeding his ability to walk. He returned to the hospital and was found to have a severe bone infection that required the amputation of his toe. The doctor said that it was possible that this infection came from either a sock, or the glass that was found in the facility itself. As of October 28, Kuya G has undergone two separate surgeries for the bone infection.

According to Cabellon, this is a preventable consequence of medical violence due to delayed treatment at the hands of the Northwest Attention Center and Geo Group, the for-profit corporation that runs the detention center. 

Like Kuya G, many other Filipinos and migrants are denied critical medical treatment at ICE detention centers and neglected by the Philippine government. 

Jason Singson of Kapwa Health Collective, a public health researcher and epidemiologist shared the urgent public health issues Filipino migrants in detention face. 

According to Singson, Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s data show that 15 people in ICE custody have died since President Trump took office.

“Friends and family of those detained have shared, repeatedly, the horrendous conditions our kababayan face: moldy and spoiled food, infectious disease outbreaks, lack of proper nutrition, deteriorating physical and mental health conditions, and lack of access to proper medical care,” Singson added. 

Medical neglect 

Filipino community and health advocates have raised urgent concern over the severe neglect and unsafe conditions faced by Filipino nationals detained in U.S. immigration facilities, particularly at the Northwest Detention Center (NWDC) in Tacoma, Washington. In a letter addressed to the Philippine Consulate, groups including the Filipino Community Health Board, NAFCON, and Tanggol Migrante called for immediate intervention and accountability from Philippine officials.

Their preliminary findings reveal widespread public health, medical, and human rights violations. According to the findings, detainees are held in overcrowded, poorly ventilated spaces, with unsafe sanitation and water conditions that heighten the risk of infectious disease outbreaks, including tuberculosis. The letter noted seven suspected TB cases among detainees, and alleged the consulate of failing to verify or respond to these health hazards.

Food conditions were also described as inhumane and dangerous, with reports of maggots in meals, raw chicken and beef, and the 12-hour gaps between meals. Untrained guards have allegedly been handling food, worsening the health risks for detainees, many of whom require specific diets due to medication.

Beyond the physical harm, detainees also face psychological distress from prolonged confinement, separation from families, and lack of mental health support. The letter cited increasing cases of depression, anxiety, and trauma, worsened by reports of abuse and mistreatment by guards.

The letter condemned the consulate’s failure to conduct regular visits or respond promptly to urgent cases, calling this negligence a violation of human rights obligations. Some detainees reportedly waited months before receiving any form of consular contact.

The groups demand that the consulate immediately begin regular inspections, establish direct communication with detainees and their families, and advocate for medical, nutritional, and mental health care, as well as safe food and water standards. They emphasized that these conditions are preventable, and that continued inaction amounts to complicity in the suffering of detained Filipinos.

“This lack of accountability directly violates both the health standards recognized by government regulations and the Consulate’s own obligations under international human rights principles.” the letter noted. 

Gross violation of human rights

Aside from denying access to critical medical treatment, Tanggol Migrante also uncovered the violations of the private company running the detention center. Geo Group agents conducted 24/7 surveillance of Kuya G while he was undergoing treatment at St. Joseph’s Medical Center. The Geo Group agents only allow Kuya G to have access to two entities or people to call via the agent’s cell phone. Kuya G was able to communicate with his lawyer, but expressed his immense fear in discussing anything with the lawyer, the doctor or other healthcare staff in case the Geo Group agent would retaliate against him and take away his phone privileges. “He fears even asking basic questions about his treatment and diagnosis,” Cora added.

Kuya G’s story is nothing out of the ordinary for a Filipino migrant forced to work abroad due to the harsh economic realities in the Philippines. He is a father, and a legal permanent resident who migrated to the United States at 18 years old in search of livelihood after experiencing poverty and joblessness back home. He has lived in Alaska for decades, working in the canneries, until being detained this past year. 

Like Kuya G, 71 year-old Filipino Tita Rebecca shared the same fear: what if she dies in the detention center? 

Tita Rebecca was transferred for the fourth time, now remaining at the Clark County Detention Center in Indiana.

According to Dee Balitaan of Anakbayan USA, when Tita Rebecca was transferred, her legs were shackled for 15 hours and she was not given her medication for hypertension for several days, resulting in high blood pressure and a lot of stress. 

While held at the Stewart Detention Center, her kidney health deteriorated after being denied vital kidney and blood pressure medication for nearly three months. According to Balitaan, despite Tita Rebecca’s family’s repeated requests for a comprehensive medical examination, Philippine officials have only conducted brief check-ins, offering no real intervention or support.

“Due to the filthy ventilation and unsanitary facility, she shared that she has had constant, intense hacking and watery eyes. She has joint pain and muscle weakness. Tita Rebecca also shared with her family very early on that she was scared she was gonna die at the detention center,” Balitaan added.

PH complicity 

Registered nurse and Secretary General of Migrante USA Jom Dolor pointed to the role of Philippine officials in enabling U.S. immigration enforcement. He highlighted Philippine Ambassador to US Jose Manuel Romualdez’s relative silence on migrant detentions. Shortly after Trump’s election, Romualdez congratulated Trump, and advised Filipinos to “self-deport” rather than wait to be forcibly removed.

Dolor described the situation as “unprecedented and intense fascist attacks” on Filipino migrants, highlighting how recent events expose the Philippine government’s failure to protect its nationals abroad. Dolor criticized the government for treating Filipinos as valuable only as cheap labor, noting that remittances from the U.S. alone reached $14 billion in 2024, accounting for nearly 10 percent of the country’s GDP.

He condemned officials for acting as “subservient lap dogs” to U.S. policy, prioritizing trade, and military deals over the welfare of migrants. Dolor emphasized how government inaction allows Filipinos to suffer in detention, lose body parts, and even die, while officials remain silent.

Dolor emphasized that the solution goes beyond elections or replacing leaders, calling instead for a systemic overhaul. He called for a pro-people movement that creates jobs at home, redistributes land and resources monopolized by the ruling elite, and ends the exploitation of Filipino migrants.

‘We, as a community, are sometimes all we have’

When asked about what actions we can take as a Filipino community, Dr. Veronica Velasquez of Los Angeles Kalusugan Collective (LAKAS) and an acute care physical therapist at LA County Hospital emphasized that Filipino communities are stepping in to care for their own amid systemic neglect.

Velasquez highlighted collective care and education. This includes “know your rights” training and free health clinics to fill gaps left by cuts to U.S. social and medical services.

Beyond direct services, Velasquez stressed the importance of public accountability and advocacy. “As a healthcare worker, it’s important to voice frustration and denounce their poor response,” she said. According to Velasquez, taking to the streets and demanding accountability from both the U.S. government and the Philippine government is another crucial way to defend and protect migrant communities. (RVO)

Photos courtesy of Tanggol Migrante Movement