ICE releases health worker arrested at airport despite living in the U.S. legally for 50 years

Lewelyn Dixon had been arrested at the Seattle airport after a trip to her native Philippines in late February. She was released from ICE custody after three months.

After three months in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, a Filipino green-card holder who had been arrested at Seattle-Tacoma Airport has finally gone home.

Lewelyn Dixon, a 64-year-old University of Washington lab technician, was released on Thursday from the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Washington, after a judge ruled that she does not qualify for deportation.

Dixon, who’s had legal permanent status in the U.S. for 50 years, had been in ICE custody since late February, when she was detained after coming back from a visit to the Philippines.

Outside the detention facility, Dixon thanked a crowd of supporters and spoke about her experience and the conditions in the facility.

“It was horrific; it was awful, it is crowded -- super crowded, they release maybe nine, bring back seven, release one, they bring three,” she said, according to local NBC affiliate King5.