A 76-year-old man with permanent US residency and stage four prostate cancer is reportedly being held in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention in Tacoma, Washington. Loreto Javar, a Filipino national, was detained by federal immigration officials in June during his US citizenship interview.
Javar moved to the US in 1995 and has lived there with his wife and daughter since. He has renewed his permanent residency multiple times without issue, including most recently in December. His daughter, Daisy Javar, stated her father applied for US citizenship in November 2025 and has no criminal history in the US.
According to an ICE spokesperson, Javar was arrested because he allegedly failed to disclose a criminal conviction in the Philippines from the 1970s when he originally applied for a visa in 1995. This alleged non-disclosure would have made him ineligible to enter the US at that time, and therefore, ineligible to remain now, the Seattle Times reported.
Javar was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer in January and is prescribed two oral medications, alongside others for conditions like high blood pressure. His daughter has raised concerns that delays in meal delivery at the detention centre are complicating his medication schedule. An online petition from the Tanggol Migrante Movement claims Javar has missed two oncology appointments and has developed a blood clot in his stomach since his detention.