A 76-year-old man suffering from advanced prostate cancer has been detained by federal immigration officials, preventing him from attending crucial medical treatments. Loreto Javar of Fife, Washington, has been held at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma since his arrest on June 23 during a U.S. citizenship application interview in Tukwila.
Javar, originally from the Philippines, holds a green card but is facing detention despite serious health issues such as stage 4 prostate cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, as reported by his daughter, Daisy Javar.
I want him out today,Javar, 52, expressed following a Monday hearing where an immigration judge extended her father’s case to September 20.
This delay is expected to cause Javar to miss yet another appointment for his ongoing cancer treatment. According to his daughter, erratic mealtimes in custody further complicate his recovery, although his medications have been administered on schedule.
The elder Javar’s detention came as a surprise during an allegedly routine citizenship interview. His daughter suggested that her father was entrapped.
Details about the reasons for his continued detention remain sparse, but according to court documents quoted by the Seattle Times, Javar was allegedly involved in a 1970s altercation in the Philippines resulting in one fatality. He reportedly served about three years in jail there before being released on parole.
Advocates, such as Moe Cinco from the Tanggol Migrante Movement, are calling for his quick release, citing that he has missed several oncology appointments.
He’s been languishing in the detention center and separated from his cancer treatment,Cinco told Newsweek.
The group is urging the Philippine consulate in Seattle to intervene for Javar’s release. Requests by his family to the consulate have reportedly gone unanswered, leading to a petition for action that has gathered more than 150 signatures.
No national should have to beg their own government to defend them,reads the petition.
Loreto Javar, a retired hotel employee and father of two, has made the U.S. his home since 1995, according to his daughter and advocates. He participated in the citizenship process with good intentions but was detained by ICE during a citizenship interview without prior disclosure of a criminal conviction in the Philippines.
The non-disclosure rendered him ineligible for his original visa according to ICE spokesperson Jason Chudy.
Despite the setbacks, Javar’s daughter remains hopeful that compassionate grounds will lead to her father’s release.
I’m just hoping to get him out by the 20th,she stated.