Nearly 100 Filipinos from various Filipino communities and the Tanggol Migrante Network (TMN) happily welcomed “Michelle” (not her real name) when she was released on April 30 from detention at the Northwest Detention Center (NWDC), Tacoma, Washington, USA.

The court decision canceled the order to deport or remove Michelle from the country.

“Thank you very much for your support. Until the end, all of you were present. My family is not here but all of you were and you helped me. Thank you very much, I can now see my child,” Michelle said to Tanggol Migrante after her release.

Michelle is a Filipino woman who is a permanent resident in the US. She was arrested in February at the San Francisco International Airport by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) elements upon her return from a visit to the Philippines. From California, she was transferred to NWDC.

Michelle said inside NWDC, she and her fellow detainees were fed like “caged animals,” such as with semicooked chicken. They could not eat or sleep properly. She was denied her medicine or access to a doctor, despite being pre-diabetic and having a small tumor in her brain that causes severe pain, hair loss, and rapid weight loss.

Aside from Michelle, there are four more Filipinos detained at NWDC, including Lewelyn Dixon, a Filipina University of Washington lab technician who has been a permanent resident or green card holder in the US for over 50 years.

TMN and other members of the Filipino community supported the struggle of Michelle and other detainees by visiting them, sending them letters, and gathering donations.

Meanwhile, democratic organizations in the US urged the Philippine government for immediate action. They said that it must provide sufficient support to all migrants, including those facing deportation, trafficking or wage theft. They also called on the Philippine ambassador to the US, Jose Romualdez, to do his job or step down from his position.

On May 1, activists launched protests in various parts of America on what was called the National Day of Action to Defend Migrants. They sent an open letter to Romualdez and Ferdinand Marcos Jr to urge them to support detained Filipinos like Michelle, call for their release, and provide the necessary help to other Filipino migrants.

Since Donald Trump was re-elected as president this January, he has launched widespread attacks, persecution, and forced deportations of migrant workers in the US. The administration has already targeted an estimated 139,000 migrants within just 100 days of Trump’s term.