Loreto Javar, 76, walked out of a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center after the agency granted him release on his own recognizance, a development confirmed by both the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C., and the Philippine Consulate General in Seattle.
The Filipino national, a longtime Washington State resident, must still appear before immigration authorities as his removal case proceeds. Under the terms set by ICE, his temporary freedom hinges on his showing up for every scheduled deportation hearing. “Mr. Javar left the ICE detention facility on the condition that he report to ICE for his scheduled deportation hearings,” the embassy stated.
Javar’s troubles began during a citizenship application interview with ICE, when officials learned of a decades-old criminal matter tied to a death in the Philippines dating to the 1970s. Authorities took him into custody on June 23, 2026, over his supposed connection to that case.
The detainee maintains he committed no crime. Still, he acknowledged serving three years behind bars in the Philippines before parole was granted. He crossed into the United States in 1995 and has built more than thirty years of residency in the country as a lawful permanent resident. “According to Loreto, he is innocent of the charges against him in the Philippines but admitted his imprisonment for 3 years before he was released on parole. He migrated to the United States in 1995 and has been a resident of this country for more than 3 decades. He is a green card holder,” the consulate said.
To bolster his defense, Seattle consular staff worked alongside his attorney to secure paperwork from the Philippines meant to establish that his sentence had already been completed and his release carried out lawfully. “According to Loreto, these documents are critical to the case so as to prove that he already served his sentence in the Philippines and was already legally released.”
A pancreatic cancer diagnosis added urgency to the matter. The consulate filed a formal appeal to ICE citing his medical situation, and the Seattle post separately pressed his case with the agency directly, folding in a plea for leniency on both humanitarian and health considerations. That request preceded the Order of Release on Recognizance that ICE ultimately issued, clearing the way for Javar to pursue medical care outside detention.
Consular officials say they extended help to Javar and his relatives from the moment his situation came to light, including welfare checks and steady contact with the agencies handling his case.
His next appearance before immigration authorities is set for September 28, 2026, a date he must keep to remain free.
