Greggy V. Sorio, also known as “Kuya G” which means Big Brother G in Tagalog, has been held at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma since at least March. Sorio is from the Philippines and came to the U.S. on a green card in 2007 according to his attorney, Louise Carhart. He was living in Kodiak prior to being detained by ICE and Carhart told the Seattle Times that Sorio has a partner and two children who still live on the island.
Sorio said in a recorded video message posted on Facebook that he suffered multiple instances of medical neglect while he has been detained at the ICE facility for months. The Tacoma detention center has been reported to the state department of health for its poor conditions for several years according to KOMO news in Washington. According to the Seattle Times, Sorio had one of his toes amputated while he was in ICE custody. After being hospitalized for weeks he developed a chronic inflammatory bowel disease, which requires ongoing medical care.
Advocates with the Tanggol Migrante Movement, like Noah Ajeto, told KMXT via email that Sorio’s medical condition is “life-threatening” and they will continue to advocate for him to receive comprehensive medical care at a hospital and be released from ICE custody. The movement says they successfully advocated for Sorio to be removed from a Philippine Airlines flight earlier this month on Dec. 7, after they reported to the airline that he was unfit to travel on a more than 14-hour flight to the Philippines.
According to reporting from Fox13 Seattle, an ICE spokesperson said ICE is aware of Sorio’s medical concerns, and, "are ensuring he meets medical requirements before any travel. We are also communicating with Sorio’s attorney regarding a stay application as well.”
As of Dec. 8, a federal judge granted Sorio a temporary restraining order preventing him from being deported or removed from Washington state until Dec. 22.
According to Alaska court records, Sorio was convicted of two counts of recklessly causing an injury to another person in 2024. He was also convicted of reckless injury in 2010, fraudulent use of an access device in 2010, reckless endangerment in 2016, fourth-degree assault in 2017 and burglary in 2019.
Sorio had already finished serving prison time for these crimes in Alaska when he was transferred to Tacoma, according to reporting from the Seattle Times.
