November Newsletter
November 1, 2025 • 10 Cheshvan 5786
TASTE OF HONEY
This past month, we had a taste of how sweet your community support for immigrant justice is! Early in October, JCIJ hosted a Know Your Rights training for our Accompaniment Volunteers. Immigration attorney Jay Stansell shared how to advocate for your rights and support those of the community members you accompany. Some choice advice: Don’t sign anything, don’t answer questions without a lawyer present, be a witness, film and document, and, as Jay kept repeating, remember that community is power! Together our voices are louder, and our actions are more impactful.
We can make movement, however small, and support those around us when we remember that community is power, amplifying individual actions and voices. The Seattle Jewish Community School proved that with their recent mutual aid donation drive of winter clothing and blankets for community members at Riverton Park United Methodist Church and puzzles for those detained at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma. Thank you to the SJCS community!
We saw that community is power at our Accompaniment Training for New Volunteers last Sunday – over 100 people attended to take action and learn how to walk side-by-side with immigrant community members to high stakes immigration appointments! Thank you to the growing JCIJ community for continuing to show up for immigrant justice: your actions grow our capacity to stand beside impacted communities and respond to more accompaniment requests. Your support builds a stronger community of action-takers and volunteers for immigrant justice in this critical moment!
MEETING THIS MOMENT
JCIJ is Hiring an Accompaniment Program Manager!
Join the Jewish Coalition staff! We’re hiring a part-time (20 hours per week) Accompaniment Program Manager to support our Accompaniment Program. This role will serve as JCIJ’s lead dispatcher in responding to accompaniment requests and coordinating volunteers, dispatchers, and intake team to engage in deportation defense and grow JCIJ’s accompaniment capacity. Help JCIJ and volunteers participate as capable, responsible allies and coalition partners in the immigrant-led movement to advance immigrant justice!
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 flyers in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, and Lingala here.
Printable Accompaniment Flyers in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese and Lingala.
Know someone who needs an immigration lawyer or who has been detained?
ACTION ALERT
Tell Congress to Block Trump from Federalizing the National Guard
Call on your Senators and Representatives to reject plans to deploy the National Guard and the military to American cities! Hearing from you is impactful even on legislators who support this rejection already: your voice elevates the focus on defending immigrant communities and preventing increased ICE and National Guard presence in our state.
Seattle Budget 2026: Advocate for Increased and Sustained Funding for Immigration Services & Programs
Support increased and sustained funding for immigration services and programs in Seattle’s proposed 2026 budget! Our immigrant neighbors, friends, families, and loved ones are increasingly scared, isolated, and under attack. Join the call to make the recent $4 million investment in the Office of Immigrant Affairs (OIRA) ongoing. This funding reflects our values as a Welcoming City for all immigrants and helps Seattle be an even safer, healthier, and more vibrant city.
JCIJ EVENTS
JCIJ Chanukah Party - Save the Date!
Sunday, December 14, 2025 | 2:00-4:00 PM
Celebrate Chanukah with JCIJ while supporting immigrant justice in this time of heightened attacks on impacted communities. Musical guest Chava Mirel will join us to bring in sweet notes to our celebration. Make sure to mark your calendars - registration information coming soon!
COMMUNITY EVENTS
Multifaith Convening: Migrant Solidarity
Monday, November 3 | 6:30 PM
Organizations across Washington State are preparing for a potential federal deployment of troops to our cities, increased ICE presence, and other fear tactics. We know from our partners in other states the vital role people of faith have played to resist the federal government’s overreach and support our migrant neighbors.
During this convening, we will share various ways people of faith and conscience can show up to support migrant community members now, and how to get plugged in if / when there is federal escalation.
WAISN’s Community Advocacy Meeting
Tuesday, November 4 | 6:00 PM
Our stories matter. Being able to own our narrative is important for immigrant justice and liberation in Washington State. Please join WAISN on Tuesday, November 4th at 6:00 PM to discuss and practice how we can build power together through sharing our stories.
Childcare Campaign Community Gathering
Friday, November 7 | 5:00 PM
OneAmerica’s Childcare Campaign is bringing together childcare providers, parents, and community members to celebrate their work, share updates, and strengthen the collective voice for accessible, culturally reflective, and affordable childcare.There will be food, childcare, interpretation, and space to share stories and ideas about how to build a stronger early learning system for all families in Washington.
OneAmerica’s Immigrant Justice Team: Community Education Session
Thursday, November 13 | 5:30 PM
Join OneAmerica for a Community Education Session as their Immigrant Justice Team shares updates on getting involved in preparing for the National Guard and talks about what non-cooperation can look like. Interpretation will be available in Spanish.
Torah for Tumultuous Times
Thursday, November 13 & Thursday, December 11 | 12:00-1:30 PM
Join Rabbi Ronit Tsadok, Director of Project Kavod, for monthly, stand-alone learning opportunities that draw on the wisdom and tools of Jewish tradition to help us navigate times of instability and uncertainty. Project Kavod is a Jewish Family Service initiative that connects our essential work to the core Jewish values that inspire and guide our mission. All members of the Jewish community are warmly invited to participate. Kosher, vegetarian lunch provided.
SHARE YOUR VOICE
National Accompaniment Landscape Survey | HIAS
HIAS is gathering information about how, where, and with which partners/projects the Jewish community is involved in immigration court accompaniment across the US. They intend to use this information to develop and provide resources - including an online community of practice - to those interested in supporting our immigrant neighbors in this way.
VOLUNTEER
JCIJ supports free legal clinics!
Volunteer at a monthly day-long Asylum Clinic. This clinic is held on weekends. We are seeking immigration lawyers or paralegals; non-immigration lawyers and paralegals; and people who have sufficient fluency in Spanish, Lingala, French, Haitian-Creole or Portuguese to serve as interpreters.
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.
RESOURCES
NWIRP Resources | Northwest Immigrant Rights Project
Informational videos and PowerPoint slideshows from NWIRP and Seattle Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs (OIRA) in English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese for asylum seekers to help navigate the immigration court and asylum process.
Know Your Rights Resources - When the government arrests or tries to arrest someone, or when a government official or police officer "just wants to talk," every person in the United States has certain basic rights. These rights apply to everyone, regardless of citizenship - and regardless of who is President.
If someone you know is detained at the Detention Center in Tacoma, call NWIRP at 253-383-0519.
Family Safety Plans by Legal Counsel for Youth and Children (LCYC)
Resources for Deportation Defense | Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network
Know Your Rights flyers and information in English, Spanish, French, Lingala, Portuguese, and Somali.
Support WAISN’s 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.
LOCAL NEWS
Leaving the Door Wide Open: Flock Surveillance Systems Expose Washington Data to Immigration Enforcement | University of Washington Center for Human Rights
According to an investigation by the UW Center for Human Rights (UWCHR), local law enforcement agencies have shared data with the U.S. Border Patrol through technology they use from a private company, Flock Safety. Eight Washington law enforcement agencies enabled direct data sharing with the US Border Patrol. This led to “back door” access for the Border Patrol; at least another ten agencies’ data was exposed without authorization. This is only what researchers could confirm: national or other states’ agencies could have access to Flock networks in Washington State.
Data sharing in this way violates Keep Washington Working, which bars most law enforcement and state agencies from collaborating with immigration enforcement. Data protections are more important than ever in our increasingly authoritarian federal government, especially for immigrant community members. Violations of Keep Washington Working and data sharing with federal immigration enforcement led to ICE tracking down undocumented Washington residents. As you’ll read later in this Local News section, Governor Ferguson and local agencies have started taking action to protect our data, limit federal access, and support immigrant rights.
Feds searched security system at 18 WA police agencies, report finds; WA State officials respond | The Seattle Times
At least four Seattle-area police departments changed their surveillance programs this week after learning U.S. Border Patrol had searched their Flock Safety databases this year, a practice civil rights researchers and advocates said might violate state law, if done for immigration enforcement purposes. The bipartisan Keep Washington Working Act bars most state agencies from cooperating with immigration enforcement.
Clark County officials ask why arrested Portland protestors were transported across state lines | Oregon Public Broadcasting
Officials in Clark County are investigating why protestors arrested in Portland outside of an ICE facility were detained in a Clark County, Washington, jail rather than in Oregon. While it’s not unusual for federal arrestees to be held in local jails, it’s rare for individuals arrested in Portland to be transported to Vancouver. Clark County does not currently have a contract with the U.S. Marshals, according to Shook. That means it’s not reimbursed for holding federal arrestees. The 2019 Keep Washington Working Act also limits local law enforcement from implementing federal immigration laws.
Mayor Harrell signs Executive Orders to protect Seattle communities from unlawful federal troop deployment and unjust immigration enforcement actions | Office of the Mayor, Seattle
Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell signed two Executive Orders in October. One protects local communities and control over law enforcement resources in the event that federalized National Guard troops are deployed to Seattle. The second strengthens services to immigrant and refugee communities and proposes legislation to prohibit the practice of masked, non-uniformed federal agents conducting immigration enforcement raids within the City, as well as an ordinance to prevent federal law enforcement from staging on or conducting immigration enforcement operations on City property.
Is Seattle ready for a Portland-like federal response? Police, city leaders take preemptive steps | KUOW
Seattle city leaders are drawing up new policies, documentation practices, and law-enforcement protocols to prepare for potential federal enforcement or troop deployment similar to what’s happening in Portland.
Immigration officials detain woman outside Issaquah immersion preschool | The Seattle Times
Immigration officials arrested a mother outside an Issaquah child care center Thursday, after they stopped her while she was driving to the Spanish-language immersion preschool, the school’s director says. Early in President Donald Trump’s second term, his administration said it would let federal immigration agencies carry out arrests at schools, churches and hospitals, ending a policy that was in effect since 2011.
Gov. Ferguson creates new ‘sub-cabinet’ to protect WA immigrant rights | The Seattle Times
Gov. Bob Ferguson issued an executive order at the end of September that will create a new “immigrant sub-cabinet” and direct state agencies to review their data collection, sharing and retention policies. Earlier this fall, OneAmerica called Gov. Ferguson to protect immigrant data and audit data practices among state agencies; JCIJ volunteers amplified this call at a OneAmerica rally in September.
Judge rules ICE unlawfully detained a Seattle man. He’s not alone | KUOW
Federal appeals court will rehear case about National Guard deployment to Portland | Oregon Public Broadcasting
President Trump remains blocked from calling up the Oregon National Guard and deploying them to Portland, after a federal appeals court decided to rehear the case. In its decision Tuesday, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals also reversed its ruling from last week that sided with the Trump administration.
Washington AG pushing new law to protect workers from immigration raids | Washington State Standard
Attorney General Nick Brown is proposing legislation, dubbed the Immigrant Worker Protection Act, that would require employers to notify their employees of a planned inspection of employment eligibility paperwork within 72 hours of being notified about it by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Other states, including California, Oregon and Illinois, already have similar laws.
FEDERAL NEWS
Look for the helpers: How Chicagoans are supporting their neighbors amid ICE raids | Block Club Chicago
Community members across Chicago are organizing grassroots efforts such as safe-passage chains, rapid response alerts, legal aid, and volunteer networks to protect immigrant neighbors during ICE raids.
What powers does the Border Patrol have across the country? | The New York Times
The New York Times provides an overview of how the U.S. Border Patrol operates inside the country, its expanding role through presidential orders, and the legal and political debates over its domestic enforcement authority.
‘It’s never been this bad’ | The Atlantic
Caitlin Dickerson at The Atlantic spoke with immigrant advocates in Chicago, writing about how they face escalating consequences and threats from the president as ICE operations and the federal crackdown intensifies in the city.
We found that more than 170 U.S. citizens have been held by immigration agents. They’ve been kicked, dragged and detained for days | ProPublica
The government doesn’t track how many citizens are held by immigration agents. ProPublica investigated and found more than 170 cases this year where citizens were detained at raids and protests. Held Incommunicado: More than 20 citizens have reported being held for over a day without being able to call their loved ones or a lawyer. In some cases their families couldn’t find them. Agents have arrested about 130 Americans, including a dozen elected officials, for allegedly interfering with or assaulting officers, yet those cases were often dropped.
SONGS IN THE KEY OF JCIJ
A few songs for hope and joy curated by Dina Burstein
I Knew I Could Fly Our Native Daughters
Our Native Daughters is the stellar combination of Rhiannon Giddons, Amethyst Kish, Leyla McCalla, and Allison Russell.
Como Fuego by Reyna Tropical
According to Wikipedia, Reyna Tropical is a US band founded by Fabi Reyna and Nectali "Sumohair" Díaz in 2016. Their music is influenced by Colombian, Peruvian, and Mexican musical styles, as well as Congolese rhythms. And it’s beautiful!
Dodinin by Leyla McCalla the awesome Haitian-American singer songwriter.
Like a Maccabee Joanie Leeds and Josh Shriber help us get ready for Chanukah. I believe it’s never too soon to be brave like a Maccabee!
Be in touch with the Jewish Coalition for Immigrant Justice NW
at team@jewishcoalition.org and learn more at jewishcoalition.org.
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Donate to build Jewish Coalition’s advocacy, accompaniment and community engagement.
Volunteer for or learn more about accompaniment, legal support, observing ICE flights, tutoring, interpreting, crafting JCIJ communications, and supporting immigrant-led partners.