Filipino who reported medical neglect in ICE facility to be deported from US

MANILA, Philippines — A Filipino national who reported months of medical neglect while under detention in a United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility will soon be deported to the Philippines, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Monday, December 8, citing information from the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco. 

Greggy Valerio Sorio, who goes by the nickname Kuya G, has been a rallying point for demonstrations and action by progressive migrant rights groups based in the US over the “severe medical neglect” he experienced while detained at the Northwest Detention Center (NWDC) in Tacoma, Washington. 

In a November 19 release, Tanggol Migranted Washington said several groups — Migrante Southcenter, Malaya Tacoma, and Philippine-US Solidarity Organization (PUSO) Tacoma — gathered outside the NWDC in support of Sorio. Groups sought to halt his deportation, citing medical concerns. 

Sorio recently had to have a toe amputated following an ulcerative colitis diagnosis after months in ICE detention. 

The DFA said that the consulate general “has previously and repeatedly conveyed requests for humanitarian consideration to allow him to substantially recover from his medical condition (ulcerative colitis) prior to his deportation.”  

“However, the Department notes that the ICE Health Services Corps has assessed his condition and deemed him medically cleared for deportation. The Department respects this decision and recognizes the sovereign right of the United States to determine who may be allowed to remain in its territory,” the DFA said.

The department also said that Sorio had been provided funding for legal representation through its legal assistance fund. ICE denied Sorio’s appeal for a stay of his deportation.

“From the time the Consulate General was made aware of his medical concerns, it repeatedly coordinated with the relevant officials to ensure that he was examined and provided with appropriate medical attention,” the DFA said.

“The Consulate was likewise informed by both Mr. Sorio and ICE officials regarding his hospitalization and was able to conduct welfare checks during his period of confinement in the hospital. The Consulate also monitored his subsequent checkups and the provision of his medications,” added the DFA, which promised it would provide Sorio “the necessary assistance upon his arrival in the Philippines.”

ICE arrested Sorio, a US resident of over 20 years, in March 2025. A tweet from both ICE Seattle and ICE back when he was arrested said Sorio had been “convicted by the state for assault, theft, burglary, reckless endangerment, and violation of a domestic violence protective order.” 

Sorio’s ordeal under ICE detention includes a colitis diagnosis and a bone infection that eventually led to the amputation of his toe.  

Migrant groups decried the treatment of Sorio. In October, the Tanggol Migrante Movement noted that Sorio lost 20 pounds since he was detained and “experienced months of constant internal gastrointestinal bleeding, worsening pain, and fatigue.”

Despite four visits by medical providers while in detention, the bleeding has continued. In fact, ICE-employed medical providers contributed to the worsening of his health — one provider prescribed him laxatives that exacerbated the bleeding. For the past five months, his symptoms have become even more extreme. His case is the latest in the growing pattern of medical neglect at the for-profit ICE facility,” said the group said.

Sorio was also denied visitation attempts by groups and individuals advocating for him. 

Migrant rights groups in the US have also criticized the Philippine Consulate for “neglect and abandonment.”

The administration of US President Donald Trump hardened the country’s immigration policies, including chasing down persons accused to have entered or stayed in the US illegally. The broad crackdown has also affected individuals like Sorio who was already a US resident.

The Trump administration has been criticized for its inhumane tactics, including racial profiling and alleged repeated instances of abuse and neglect inside ICE facilities, as well as the unjust deportation of individuals. – Rappler.com