JCIJ June Newsletter
June 1, 2026 • 16 Sivan 5786
TASTE OF HONEY
There’s a big month in store for Seattle: the start of summer, the FIFA World Cup, and Seattle Pride, to name a few. We don’t yet know what the local impact of the World Cup will look like– King County officials shared that they have received no information that ICE will be present at the Seattle games. The federal government has threatened to interfere locally. In anticipation, we’ve been working in coalition with partner organizations to show up in solidarity with impacted community and workers during the World Cup, which begins June 14.
We encourage you to show up in community as allies and friends, too! Work with your neighbors to prepare your neighborhood for ICE presence with the Great for All CID ICE-Free Zone Toolkit. Stay tuned and ready when we send out Action Alerts in the coming weeks. Support workers and families by responding to our call for volunteers in this newsletter. And, don’t forget to bring joy and togetherness to Pride Month by celebrating LGBTQ+ community with the Church Council of Greater Seattle and others. Keep reading to find out more!
TAKE ACTION
Call on Your Congressmembers: No more funding for ICE & CBP!
Join HIAS’ campaign and demand no funding for ICE and CBP without accountability!
Congress is moving fast to funnel $71 billion into immigration enforcement. Tell your elected representatives to say no. Republican leadership is using the reconciliation process — a legislative fast track that bypasses the usual checks and balances — to push funding just for ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). ICE and CBP can't keep tearing apart our communities with no accountability.
Countering Arbitrary Detention: A HIAS Toolkit for Faith Leaders
Detention centers and immigration enforcement field offices are rapidly expanding while safe and legal pathways for immigrants and forcibly displaced people to enter and remain in the U.S. are shutting down. Faith communities are on the front lines responding to this crisis. This toolkit from HIAS provides resources and a guide for faith communities to challenge the expansion of detention facilities and direct public attention to the legal abuses and overreach that happen within them.
JCIJ EVENTS
Save the Date: JCIJ’s Annual Summer Gathering!
August 30, 2026 | 10:30 AM | Seattle
Save the date and join us for the Jewish Coalition for Immigrant Justice's 3rd annual Summer Gathering to come together in community! JCIJ's Summer Gathering will take place at a Seattle park on August 30th.
Together we can grow an even stronger community of JCIJ advocates, action takers, and accompaniment volunteers. Come learn more about how to get involved or deepen your engagement in accompaniment and advocacy over brunch and music. There will also be time for chatting ~ schmoozing (Yiddish) or to echar lashon (Ladino)!
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.
White Center Pride | All Out: White Center Pride Street Festival
June 6, 2026 | White Center
Head to White Center for the 2026 White Center Pride Street Festival! About the festival: The theme this year is “All Out,” which is inspired by the people who make up the community in White Center. Everywhere we look, we see our neighbors helping each other, learning from each other, coming together to celebrate, and be there for each other through both the good and hard times. It is our hope we can all be “out” and proud as queer people, but no matter what our identities in the White Center community, we will be going All Out for each other.
Pramila Jaypal’s Resistance Lab | Immigration Justice Virtual Organizing Training
June 7, 2026 | 11:00 AM-1:00 PM | Virtual
Congresswoman Jayapal, who was an immigrant rights' organizer before heading to Congress and is currently the top Democrat on the Immigration Subcommittee in Congress, will lead the training. Join her team to dive into the history of our immigration system, how the administration is using immigration to advance their authoritarian agenda, and where we go from here. They’ll also discuss concrete actions people can take to support immigrant communities and protect our democracy.
Church Council of Greater Seattle | "Clerics, Abbots, & Heretics: Oh My!" Drag Fundraiser
June 14, 2026 | 5:45-8:00 PM | Seattle
Get out your glitter and your sequins, cause the Church Council is hosting their second annual Drag Fundraiser: "Clerics, Abbots, & Heretics: Oh My!" At a time when attacks against migrant communities, LGBTQ+ communities, and so many others are on the rise, part of how we organize for transformational change toward liberation and justice is through celebration. This event showcases talents, spotlights the Church Council’s fabulosity, and sustains the work of the Church Council in the years to come!
WAISN | Know Your Rights Training
June 17, 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.
Northwest Immigrant Rights Project | Immigration Updates
June 23, 2026 | 12:00 PM | Zoom
Join NWIRP for recent immigration related updates. They will share the information in English from 12:00 PM to 12:45 PM, followed by the same updates in Spanish from 12:45 PM to 1:30 PM. Please join at the time that works best for your language needs.
WAISN | Rapid Response Training
June 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.
VOLUNTEER
Call for Volunteers: Do you happen to be a notary?
JCIJ and partner organizations are looking for notaries! Contact us at team@jewishcoalition.org if you are a notary and interested in volunteering your services. You can support immigrant families by notarizing Family Safety Plans and more!
Engage with JCIJ and our partners!
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!
New opportunities:
Volunteer to support the Hospitality Table on the sidewalk of Interurban Ave S, just outside the office building for immigration surveillance appointments. A group of concerned neighbors set up this hospitality table outside of BI, Inc. to offer warmth, respect, and compassion to immigrant community members coming for their regular check-ins. Find out more about signing up for a shift to offer café gratis (free coffee!) and much more to immigrant community members and accompaniment volunteers.
Build community with asylum-seeking families at Riverton Park United Methodist Church by volunteering with the Family Support Program. In this program, teams of two volunteers will be assigned to a family, helping them build community in Seattle and navigate regular life (making appointments, connecting them with ESL resources, going on picnics, taking kids to the free day at the museum. etc.). Volunteers will visit families about twice a month, and connect with the larger program lead team once a month. We do ask volunteers to commit to six months of support.
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
King County briefs ethnic media on FIFA World Cup 2026 plans | Northwest Asian Weekly
Seattle immigrant soccer fans, workers face ICE fears as World Cup nears | The Spokesman-Review
Trump's no-bond policy for immigrants in custody played out for years in Tacoma, Washington | OPB
New burn bans and Trump's battle with immigration and DEI are impacting forest fires | KUOW
WA doesn't do enough to help undocumented kids in foster care, lawsuit says | KUOW
Food stamp enrollment drops in WA as immigrants exit program | Washington State Standard
Under immigration crackdown, social media rumors in WA spread ‘like wildfire’ | The Seattle Times
Tacoma restricts ICE activity on city property as activists push for more action | KING5
ICE seeks workspace for 300+ personnel nationwide, including Seattle | KING5
States that cover healthcare for immigrants scale back | Stateline
FEDERAL NEWS
Trump Administration to Tap Longtime ICE Official to Lead Agency | New York Times
US Senate Republicans advance major portion of $72 billion migrant enforcement bill | Reuters
Trump Squeezes Immigrants by Cutting Them Off From Jobs, Health Care and Housing | New York Times
'We're not kids anymore': The DACA generation hits their 30s with an unstable future | NPR
Immigration enforcement: Banks ordered to look at clients’ citizenship; immigrants to be vetted for “extremist” views | NBC, Reuters
Green card updates: Foreigners in the U.S. will be forced to apply for green cards from their home countries; USCIS is “revetting” permanent residents with green cards. Directives are unclear - now DHS is backtracking on new green card policies | KUOW, New York Times, ABC News
Violation of civil rights: Increased “collateral” arrests during immigration street sweeps; warrantless arrests; and an appeals court rejection of no-bond immigration detentions | Washington State Standard, Associated Press
The harm of immigration on children: Tear gas, family separation | ProPublica
Why Have Immigration Agents Detained This American Citizen Three Times? | ProPublica
Immigration courts: There’s a new tactic to speed up deportations; ICE ignores judge’s ban on arrests in New York immigration courts | NPR, Associated Press
Updates to Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s and Mahmoud Khalil’s cases | NPR, New York Times
Deportation: Voluntary departures increase due to “squalid” detention; 9 deportees from US arrive in Sierra Leone under third-country agreement | Stateline, Associated Press
SONGS IN THE KEY OF JCIJ
Curated by Dina Burstein
Buena Vista Social Club - Chan Chan
Shaina Taub - Huddled Masses (feat. Broadway Inspirational Voices)
Be in touch with the Jewish Coalition for Immigrant Justice NW
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