JCIJ April Newsletter & Happy Passover!
April 1, 2026 • 14 Nissan 5786
TASTE OF HONEY
Happy Passover, Chag Pesach, Pesah alegre, a zisn Pesach!Passover begins tonight at sundown, and with it an opportunity to come together with our communities to act out our tradition around exile, not belonging, and hope for a home in the future. The story of the Exodus roots us in Jewish wandering and displacement, and asks us to remember our humanity: “You shall not oppress a stranger, for you know the feelings of the stranger, having yourselves been strangers in the land of Egypt.” (Exodus 23:9, Sefaria)
Reflect on immigrant justice at your Seder table: Check out the JCIJ Haggadah supplementand share it with your communities! Use it to spark conversations around immigration, impact, and how we individually and collectively can take action to support our immigrant neighbors. You can print copies of this supplement and add it after the traditional four questions, or use it to close your Seder with hope and action.
After you gather with your community this week to celebrate, we invite you to share an evening with the JCIJ community at our annual Dinner in Community on Sunday, May 3, in Central Seattle. Share your learnings and reflections from your Seder with us that evening as we learn together about immigrant justice and the situation on the ground, and bring an opportunity for joy, grounding, and connection during this destabilizing time. Together, we can move more people to take action for immigrant justice!
ACTION ALERT
Action Alert: Tell the Department of Housing and Urban Development to Keep Families Together!
The JCIJ Advocacy Committee asks you to take one Passover action: Please raise your voice as part of the Keep Families Together campaign!
Trump’s Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has proposed a rule to evict certain immigrant families. The rule would prohibit families with mixed immigration status from receiving housing assistance or living in HUD housing programs like public housing and Section 8. 80,000 people could be evicted from their homes. Tell HUD how separating or evicting families would hurt our neighbors and harm our communities!
Get Involved: Find JCIJ + Partner Resources
We know that it’s hard to know where to start getting involved with immigrant justice, especially when safety in immigrant and Jewish communities is so important.
Defending our immigrant neighbors isn’t just directly facing off with ICE. As we’ve been learning while training to prepare for ICE escalation here, noncompliance and protest can take many forms. There’s an action for everybody, and when we work together, those individual actions become community power – and hugely impactful.
With our new resource page, The Immigrant Justice Landscape and Resources, you can find out more about how to take action with JCIJ; mobilize and respond for immigrant justice with other organizations; and access materials to learn with your community. We encourage you to share this widely!
We also compiled JCIJ and other resources for impacted community! Use this page to request accompaniment; access Know Your Rights materials, and find legal support.
COMMUNITY VOICES
In January, Rabbi David Basior and Rabbi Yohanna Kinberg went to Minneapolis, answering a call for clergy to join the protests there and support the resistance to federal immigration enforcement. They documented their experiences to share with the Jewish Coalition for Immigrant Justice community. Last week, Rabbi David spoke about his experience in Minneapolis at the Multifaith Convening: Lessons from Minneapolis, which JCIJ co-sponsored alongside CAIR, the Church Council of Greater Seattle, and Faith Action Network. Rabbi David closed his remarks on the panel calling in the wisdom of Hillel "If I am not for myself, who will be for me? But if I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?” Let’s take this lesson to heart!
Thank you to Rabbi David and Rabbi Kinberg for meeting this moment and defending immigrant rights alongside activists in Minnesota! If you missed the Multifaith Convening last week, read Rabbi David’s reflections below.
72 Hours in Minneapolis
I was called to answer the call for clergy to come to Minneapolis on January 22-23. I am grateful to have a community where this would be supported and encouraged, and if you are not sure if your rabbi would know you want them to show up for immigrant rights and protecting all our neighbors in these times, you can let them know!
The people of Minneapolis are amazing. Nearly 1000 clergy answered the call that brought together a large coalition of clergy together for the purpose of witness, accompaniment, training, and action. Local clergy and faith leaders called us into our followership, our listening, our power of non-anxious presence. We were taught about the Dakota people -- the first people of that land, and their creation story, taking place on what is now the location of the ICE detention center, the Federal Building, and a military training ground. We were trained and called in by Freedom Trainers who taught us about non-cooperation, mutual aid, neighborhood organizing, and how to leverage our buildings and communities as faith communities to support and defend one another. We were invited to understand that our safety comes from no one but us: we keep us safe.
After being trained, we were asked to choose actions for Friday. I went with the group of clergy -- hundreds of us -- who were called to participate in a coordinated action at the airport, attempting to interrupt the business of deportation flights and call attention to Signature, an airline contracted to deport Minnesotans away, and Delta, one of many corporations who are complicit and compliant with ICE's actions in the state. Delta uses MSP, the airport of Minneapolis-St. Paul, as a major hub and accounts for over half of the flights in and out of the airport. Leveraging their corporate power there could halt deportations from the airport there.
Things changed quickly and many adjustments were necessary. The trainers themselves were all constantly organizing their own local communities and neighborhoods while they were training us. They were all leaders in various communities who were united in a multifaith, pro-queer, antiracist organizing that brought them together decades ago. Clergy were invited to find their way of participating in Minnesotan-led organizing the next day in a state-wide day of business and school shut down to peacefully protest ICE's presence for what at that point had been 50+ days.
Heading back to my host-family's house, I was struck by the vigilance of everyone I was interacting with -- ride share drivers, restaurant employees, clergy -- as they described themselves, ordinary people. It is the closest I have felt to anything like occupation in a US city and my body recognized it feeling a familiarity with time I have spent in the West Bank among Palestinians resisting occupation.
On Friday I took part in the action at the airport, supporting and singing with the over 100 clergy who were arrested at Terminal 1. The comradery felt with all those outside was instantaneous and deep, despite barely knowing anyone nor barely being able to see the faces of anyone, covered by layers of protection in -20 degree weather. I would later in the day be driven to Kabbalat Shabbat services at Reform Congregation Shir Tikvah in South Minneapolis where a brilliant dvar torah accompanied the gorgeous singing and dancing shared by locals and visitors in town for these days of learning and action.
Before Shabbat, though, I was also able to take part in an action at a downtown Minneapolis Target store where 300 or so clergy clogged up the main foyer of the store in song and protest, featuring leaders of various faith traditions speaking directly to Target, demanding they end their complicity with ICE. Minneapolis is the home of Target's headquarters and an important corporate target of the anti-ICE demands. There is an ask to boycott Target and demand they withdraw their complicity with ICE by letting them use parking lots. Hilton, Enterprise, Home Depot, and Delta are all corporations I saw Minnesotans ask everyone everywhere boycott and put public pressure on for their work and business with ICE. I humbly ask us all to consider this ask seriously.
On Shabbat morning I was at my host-family's parent's house and the murder of Alex Pretti came through all of their various Signal threads throughout the morning. We resisted the urge to show up at the site or Pretti's murder, as we heard that CBP and ICE were violently making the scene uninhabitable with tear gas and the like. Instead, I played with the young people and did the dishes. I did the acts I would do if I were in my dear friend's house and they were in mourning.
Flying out of MSP after shabbat ended, I wrote a guide for others who might be visiting their people in Minneapolis. They need us, our resource, our fresh attention, our ability to support them in their lives as they do everything they can to protect their neighbors. Hopefully it can be useful to others.
Finally, I want to implore the frequency and depth of the trauma of everyday life in Minneapolis right now. And the ways they know that they are a test case -- that ICE will not stop there and they need to hold the line and show other communities how to live through it and defend their neighbors. Minneapolis is not safe, and our communities are at risk of being the same. If we want to ensure that our neighbors, small businesses, school mates, coworkers, and all the people of our city are protected it is time to: 1) get trained, 2) plug into hyper local networks with neighbors, 3) practice patrol and rapid response, 4) get to know and let yourself be known to neighbors in true community, 5) set up and practice mutual aid networks in your neighborhood, or find the ones that already exist and plug in.
We keep us safe. Many thanks to the JCIJ for the work they have been doing for years and for their leadership now.
Rabbi David Basior
LEGISLATIVE DEBRIEF
Washington State’s Legislative Session ended on March 12, and with your support and the incredible work of our coalition partners, lawmakers passed legislation that secured protections and power for immigrant rights. What a victory for immigrant justice–and a demonstration of the power we have when we advocate in coalition, work together, and walk side by side with our neighbors!
Several items on JCIJ’s Legislative Agenda saw success, including bills defending Washingtonians from federal overreach and the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights. Legislators approved bills that reinforce Keep Washington Working to prevent federal overreach, from protecting driver data (SB 6002/HB2332) to banning law enforcement from wearing masks (SB 5855/HB 2173) and defending the rights of immigrant workers (SB 5852/HB 2105).
We saw some funding priorities with full support: the Washington Migrant and Asylum Seeker Support Program (WA-MASS), which invests in programs that care for the well-being of all our Washington residents, received full funding for another year of support.
The fight isn’t over, however: Many bills defending immigrants and Washingtonians from federal overreach didn’t make it out of the House or Senate. Other priority programs were approved with cuts. Health Equity for Immigrants saw huge cuts: The legislature reduced $27.9 million from funding forthe Apple Health Expansion and changed the structure. We know we have to keep fighting and raising our voices together as we advocate for immigrant justice in our cities and counties, and prepare to show up for next session!
JCIJ Executive Director Andrea Soroko Naar with Gov. Ferguson and the KIAC (Kitsap Immigrant Assistance Center) team at the signing into law of SB 5855 and HB 2165 on March 19.
JCIJ EVENTS
JCIJ’s Annual Dinner in Community
Sunday, May 3, 2026 | Doors open at 5:30 PM
Registration is now open for our annual Dinner in Community on Sunday, May 3, in Central Seattle! This year’s event will center on the theme and Jewish value Kavod Habriyot, the dignity of all. Even amidst the crises of this moment, this evening is an opportunity to ground ourselves in why we do this work together: because all people are inherently deserving of dignity. Attacks on immigrants are attacks on our entire community and on our democracy. We are ready to show up with urgency, with joy, and with a bold commitment to building a future where all people are valued and cared for.
Join us on May 3 to experience dinner by Project Feast; entertainment; speakers to break down what is happening at the local, state, and national level; silent auction; JCIJ’s Tzedek Justice Award; and opportunity to build community.
Can’t make it but still want to support? You can do so at tinyurl.com/dinner2026. After clicking Support, click “I’d just like to donate” on the bottom left. Thank you for building a Jewish Coalition positioned to meet this moment. We are grateful to be in community with you!
Support those in need in the Twin Cities with the Yesod Mutual Aid Fund, organized by the Shir Tikvah Congregation in Minneapolis. The Yesod Fund provides flexible, direct support to individuals and families navigating instability and harm, particularly those most impacted by ICE and the occupation of the Twin Cities. Direct aid to individuals and families reflects our belief that those closest to harm best understand what support is needed, and that safety and stability are sacred.
COMMUNITY EVENTS
Access resources and events from other organizations in the region! These are events shared by community members and local organizations. If you know of upcoming immigrant justice events relevant for next month’s newsletter, send an email to team@jewishcoalition.org.
One America | Immigrant Rights Updates: April
April 1, 2026 | 5:00 PM | Zoom
Join OneAmerica’s Immigration Justice Team for an hour-long presentation about what is happening with immigrant rights. They’ll talk about what the federal government is doing, what is happening in our state, and actions you can take to protect yourself and your neighbors. The April meeting will feature USCIS rule changes, updates on the fight to block DHS funding, and the bills that passed (or failed) in the Washington State Legislature this year. RSVP for the zoom link. Please note: This meeting is on the first night of Passover.
La Resistencia | Solidarity Day with Jewish Voices for Peace
April 4, 2026 | 1:00-3:00 PM | Northwest Detention Center
Join JVP Tacoma, JVP Seattle, JVP Olympia and La Resistencia for a Seder outside the Northwest Detention Center in solidarity with the struggle for migrant justice. JVP are showing up for a solidarity day with La Resistencia to amplify the call to shut down the Northwest Detention Center and to end detentions and deportations.
Valley & Mountain Fellowship United Methodist Church | Table Turning - Unite to Free Them All
April 4, 2026 | 4:00-6:00 PM | Northwest Detention Center
Valley & Mountain Fellowship UMC are preparing for their annual Holy Week Table Turning tradition and they are calling on people of faith all across the city and county to join them for a People of Faith & Conscience to Unite in One Voice to Free Them All.
On April 4th, 4-6PM join them outside the Northwest Detention Center for a gathering of people of faith in partnership with many community groups working to free them all. Gather your people, make your signs and be prepared to use your voice for change.
NWIRP | Know Your Rights for Healthcare Service Providers
April 6, 2026 | 12:00 PM | Zoom
Join Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP) for a Know Your Rights for Healthcare Service Providers presentation highlighting the rights of patients and healthcare workers when encountering immigration enforcement in healthcare settings. This session will cover what to do if immigration agents appear at hospitals, clinics, or other healthcare facilities, as well as protections for patient privacy and access to care. They will also discuss recent updates to immigration policies that may affect healthcare environments.
Free Washington Project | Saving Our Elections in 2026
April 8, 2026 | 6:00 PM | Zoom
The threats to the 2026 elections are real—from the potential cancellation of elections to the presence of ICE at polling places. The Free Washington Project and Standing for Democracy are hosting Saving Our Elections to spark a statewide conversation about strategies for resistance. Confirmed speakers include: Bill Fletcher Jr., a cofounder and executive board member of Standing for Democracy;Charles Douglass III, Executive Director of Common Power; and Steven Hobss, WA Secretary of State.
WAISN | Know Your Rights Training
April 15, 2026 | 6:00-7:30 PM | Zoom
Join this virtual workshop to learn how to support yourself and your community during encounters with immigration enforcement agents. This Know Your Rights training covers what to do if Immigration and Customs Enforcement comes to your home or workplace, how to identify valid warrants, and how to assert your rights safely.
Church Council of Greater Seattle | Weaving Our Strengths
April 25, 2026 | Details TBA
Save the date for Weaving Our Strengths, historically organized by the Church Council, is a day of workshops and reflection to ground us in making change for liberation & justice. This year’s event will focus on noncompliance/noncooperation and is supported by multifaith partners. Visit the Church Council website to find an updated registration form when it’s released!
WAISN | Rapid Response Training
April 30, 2026 | 6:00-8:00 PM | Zoom
Learn how statewide rapid response networks mobilize for deportation defense in this virtual training focused on supporting communities and keeping families together.
JFS | Community of Caring Luncheon
May 1, 2026 | 12:00-1:30 PM | Seattle
Jewish Family Service's annual Community of Caring Luncheon is a chance to connect with the JFS family—friends, supporters, volunteers, and staff—and hear about their life-changing work in the community this year. Join them on May 1st to transform our world by extending kindness, dignity, and unwavering support to those who need it.
NWIRP | Annual NWIRP Gala 2026
May 15, 2026 | 5:30 PM | Seattle
Support the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project at their annual gala and join the fight for justice and equity! Their gala takes place Friday, May 15th, 2026, at the Westin in Seattle. The evening will include an inspiring program, a petite live auction, the opportunity to engage with other supporters, and support NWIRP's work.
VOLUNTEER
Engage with JCIJ!
Interested in joining our work for immigrant justice? We have a range of volunteer needs and opportunities. Get in touch to learn more! We’re looking for volunteer leaders that can support new community support projects in response to federal ICE escalation in the greater Seattle area. Please note: We are not currently accepting new Accompaniment Volunteers and do not have an Accompaniment Training scheduled. Thank you for your understanding!
Adopt a Day Labor Corner | The National Day Laborer Organizing Network
The National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON) is calling on all allies to Adopt a Day Labor Corner in your local community. If you are not at risk of deportation, NDLON asks you to consider taking action today. Adopt a Day Labor Corner asks you to go where day laborers congregate–like big box home improvement stores–where immigrant day laborers are at extreme risk of harassment and arrest. Choose a location convenient to you and commit to showing up regularly. Fill out the form on NDLON’s website to find out more and get connected to people in our local communities who have already adopted a corner.
MEETING THIS MOMENT
Know someone who wants to be accompanied to their immigration appointment or hearing?
Contact the WAISN Hotline at 1-844-724-3737, Monday-Friday from 6am-6pm, and request accompaniment. Note: Please give as much lead time as possible. The Jewish Coalition will dispatch trained accompaniment volunteers.
View printable Accompaniment flyers in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, and Lingala at tinyurl.com/flyersjcij.
RESOURCES
NWIRP Resources | Northwest Immigrant Rights Project
Informational videos and PowerPoint slideshows for asylum seekers to help navigate the immigration court and asylum process. In English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese.
Know Your Rights Resources - Every person in the United States has certain basic rights regardless of citizenship.
If you know someone who is currently detained at the Northwest Detention Center, please contact NWIRP at detainedreferrals@nwirp.org or call NWIRP at 253-383-0519/ 877-814-6444.
Family Safety Plans by Legal Counsel for Youth and Children (LCYC)
Immigrant Safety Plan document - Safety planning for families who could be targeted is critical. Share this resource widely!
WAISN Resources for Deportation Defense | Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network
Four Deportation Defense Actions You Can Take Today highlights important steps we can take now to protect immigrant rights. Share widely!
Know Your Rights flyers and information in English, Spanish, French, Lingala, Portuguese, and Somali.
Additional Flyers and Resources about the Keep Washington Working Act.
Support the Fair Fight Bond Fund.
Know Your Rights App
This app developed by the National Korean American Service and Education Consortium (NAKASEC) is in many languages and has the ability to read your rights out loud to an ICE or law enforcement agent and send a message to an emergency contact.
Great for All CID | ICE Free Zone Toolkit for Your Neighborhood
The Chinatown-International District neighborhood is preparing to resist ICE/DHS in the coming months and during the FIFA World Cup this summer. Community members developed a toolkit as a templatefor you to organize with your neighbors and defend your neighborhood. Use the templates to create a community defense plan where you live!
LOCAL NEWS
Seattle City Council Bans Federal Immigration Staging, Limits Data Sharing | South Seattle Emerald
Seattle Imposes 1-Year Ban on New Immigrant Detention Facilities | South Seattle Emerald
Tukwila Passes 6-Month Ban on New ICE Detention Facilities | South Seattle Emerald
Between ICE and a hard place: WA farmworkers fear deportation, family separation | KUOW
King County saw the most street immigration arrests across WA in 2025 | KUOW
WAISN Reflects on 2026 Legislative Session: Some Victories and Some Disappointments | WAISN Blog
Washington adds safeguards for Flock cameras | Washington State Standard
Winners, losers and takeaways from WA’s legislative session | Washington State Standard
FEDERAL NEWS
U.S. pauses tactic to deport asylum-seekers to ‘third countries’ | The Seattle Times
Trump rolls back pause on asylum decisions imposed after D.C. National Guard shooting | KUOW
ICE doubled its use of ankle monitors for legal immigrants in the past year | The Guardian
Lawyers for ICE gave false information to justify detaining thousands, filings reveal | The Guardian
How the Trump administration is undermining legal immigrants | The Guardian
How American Kids Have Been Collateral Damage in Trump’s Immigration Crackdown | ProPublica
New Data Shows Where ICE Has Been Most Active This Year | The New York Times
Deaths in ICE Custody Are Growing. ‘They Let Him Rot in There.’ | The New York Times
Key Justices Appear Skeptical of Limiting Birthright Citizenship | The New York Times
SONGS IN THE KEY OF JCIJ
Curated by Dina Burstein
Baby Bird Nigun - Aly Halpert and friends
Dayenu - Eliana Light
The Sun In My Backyard - The Magnolia Janes
Remember Wild Horses - Birds of Chicago
Mambi Yoyo - Ricardo Lemvo and Makina Loca
If We Dance - מתי כספי - אם נרקו - Matti Caspi
Be in touch with the Jewish Coalition for Immigrant Justice NW
at team@jewishcoalition.org and learn more at jewishcoalition.org.
Follow JCIJ on Facebook and Instagram.
Donate to build Jewish Coalition’s advocacy, accompaniment and community engagement.
Volunteer for or learn more about accompaniment, legal support, advocacy, and more.