JCIJ October Newsletter
October 1, 2026 • 20 Tishrei 5787
TASTE OF HONEY
We begin October following the fall equinox, immersed in a season of joy, and beginning many new cycles. May we continue to act in solidarity with immigrant communities and maintain our commitment to justice throughout 5787. JCIJ wishes you and your loved ones meaningful celebrations and reflections during Sukkot, Simchat Torah, and Latino/a/e Heritage Month.
Excerpt from Let Us Gather in a Flourishing Way by Chicano poet Juan Felipe Herrera, who has committed his life to human rights and social justice:
“Let us gather in a flourishing way
with sunluz grains abriendo los cantos
que cargamos cada día
en el young pasto nuestro cuerpo
para regalar y dar feliz perlas pearls
of corn flowing árboles de vida en las cuatro esquinas
let us gather in a flourishing way
contentos llenos de fuerza to vida
giving nacimientos to fragrant ríos
dulces frescos verdes turquoise strong
carne de nuestros hijos rainbows”
STAFF UPDATES
Our incredible Communications & Community Engagement Manager, Kendra, is leaving a profound impact on JCIJ as she starts her next chapter. We want to extend our appreciation for all of her meaningful contributions over the years: skilled communications, expert event management, critical behind the scenes logistics, and her bright spirit. The list goes on! We wish her well, for gezunt, zay gezunt, un kum gezunt!
JCIJ is excited to welcome two new staff members, who joined the team at the end of September.
Welcome our new Communications and Operations Manager, Mia!
Mia (she/her) is an educator, advocate, and arts organizer who believes we have the collective power to dismantle oppressive systems and create just and thriving communities. She has spent over a decade promoting educational justice across non-profit, K-12, and higher education settings, from youth development and dropout prevention to case management. Through this work, she has been honored to learn from and work in solidarity with community members in Guatemala and to directly support local students who are undocumented.
Grounding her work in relationships, Mia is excited to bring creative storytelling to JCIJ and help build its operational capacity and sustainability. Born and raised in Seattle, on occupied Duwamish lands, she loves spending time near the Salish Sea and welcomes connection over walks or cups of tea. Fun fact: Mia is a giant puppet builder!
Welcome our new Community Engagement Organizer, Emily!
Emily (she/her) is a community builder and social justice advocate who loves connecting people and strengthening communities in ways that help everyone feel seen, supported, and able to bring their full selves. Before joining JCIJ as Community Engagement Organizer, she worked with several Jewish nonprofits in New York City, creating educational programs, coordinating volunteer and direct service opportunities, and advocating around a range of justice issues.
Originally from the Northeast, Emily is a recent Seattle transplant. Outside of work, she can usually be found crafting, reading, or exploring a new hiking trail or neighborhood. As JCIJ's new Community Engagement Organizer, Emily is excited to get to know all of you and welcomes the chance to connect over coffee/tea or a walk around Green Lake.
TAKE ACTION
📣 ICE- Hands off our Parks: Sign the Letter to hold U.S. Forest Service leadership accountable
Over Labor Day weekend, Forest Service employees in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie Forest assisted ICE agents in the detention of five men, tearing apart their families in the process. This dangerous behavior and collaboration is disturbing and unacceptable. U.S. forests are public lands for public good. Join One America’s demand for justice!
📣 Protect Head Start: Submit a Public Comment by October 6th
Head Start’s early childhood education program provides critical educational, health, and language access support. The Trump administration has launched a series of attacks on Head Start, proposing harmful changes such as ending dual language programs and eliminating critical standards and requirements. This is yet another attempt to gut services that directly benefit immigrant children and families.
Of the children served by Head Start in Washington state, nearly 14% are on individualized education programs (IEPs), over 74% are children of color, nearly 42% speak a primary language other than English at home, and over half are dual language learners. Head Start ensures that these families receive intensive language support in 46 different languages, and culturally relevant programming.
📣 Sign the petition: End the use of chains on ICE flights
Each week, dozens of people are transported on ICE deportation flights in and out of King County airport. There are multiple layers to this dehumanizing and dangerous experience: Not only are immigrants separated from their families, ICE shackles them in chains on their ankles, waists, and wrists during this process. This denies them the ability to save their own lives during an in-flight emergency.
Southend Indivisible is collecting signatures on a petition to the Pilots Association, requesting that the Pilots Association upholds their obligation to enforce flight safety regulations and end the use of chains on deportation flights.
Add your name to the petition and call to end the use of chains on ICE flights!
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.
Town Hall Seattle | Mahmoud Khalil- No Land to Stand On: Notes from Detention
Friday, October 2, 2026 | 7:30pm | Seattle
Palestinian activist and Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil visits Seattle to discuss his first book, No Land to Stand On. Drawing on his prison diary and writing in vivid, page-turning detail, Khalil conjures the despair and cruelty of ICE detention, where prisoners can vanish overnight and visiting families risk their own deportation.
States at the Core (STAC) | Beyond ICE Watch: Documenting Authoritarian Threats to Neighbors and Elections
Wednesday, October 7, 2026 | 4pm | Zoom
This training will cover the practical best practices of ICE Watch and how the tactic of community documentation can be adapted to authoritarian threats to the midterms.
NWIRP | Know Your Rights for Small Businesses
Thursday, October 8, 2026 | 6pm | Zoom
Join Northwest Immigrant Rights Project for an informative, free webinar to learn how you can support your employees and understand your rights as an employer.
Lady Liberty Project | MIGRATIONS: We Lift Our Lamps!
Saturday, October 10, 2026 | 7-9pm | Seattle
Sunday, October 11, 2026 | 3pm pre-show history panel, 4-6pm
Attend this performance event showcasing music, story, theater, poetry & dance, honoring immigrants and upholding their rights.
La Resistencia | October Solidarity Days in Tacoma
Saturday, October 10, 2026 (w/ Urban Grace Church) | 1-3pm
Saturday, October 24, 2026 (w/ Donkey Saddle) | 1-3pm
Saturday, October 31, 2026 (w/ La Resistencia) | 1-3pm
La Resistencia invites the public to attend a solidarity day. Come show support and show solidarity for those who are detained at Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma!
Indivisible Eastside | Constitutional Observer Training
Tuesday, October 13, 2026 | 7-8:30pm | Sign Up for Address
Do you know what to do if you see ICE in your community? This 1-hour basic class will show you what to do if you happen to see immigration enforcement activity.
Shoreline UU & Communities Rising | The Detention Lottery
Saturday, October 17, 2026 | 6:30-8:30pm | Shoreline
This play immerses the viewer in an immigration detention center courtroom. This event benefits the FIRE Campaign: Fueling Immigrant and Refugee Empowerment, an emergency fundraising campaign to meet the critical needs of our immigrant neighbors by collectively fueling the work of frontline immigrant-serving organizations across Washington state (including JCIJ!). Childcare available, request by October 10th, details in registration.
Faith Action Network (FAN) | 2026 Annual Dinner- Celebrating 15 years
Sunday, October 18, 2026 | 5-8pm | Seattle
Join FAN for an evening of inspiring stories, delicious food, and uplifting music to celebrate the collective power of our multifaith voices and look toward the future of advocacy in 2027 and beyond.
WAISN | Rapid Response Training
Tuesday, October 20, 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.
Freedom Trainers | Noncooperation 101 Training
Wednesday, October 21, 2026 | 4:00-6:00 PM | Zoom
Join Freedom Trainers for a 2 hour virtual training on civil resistance and noncooperation. Participants will leave with concrete steps for taking action for elections and freedom to vote.
Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP) | An Evening of Justice at Wing Luke
Thursday, October 22, 2026 | 5:30pm | Seattle
Join NWIRP at Seattle’s Wing Luke Museum to honor the dedicated legal community who provides critical support to defending and advancing immigrant rights.
The Church Council of Greater Seattle | 2026 Fall Fundraiser
Sunday, October 25, 2026 | 5-7:30pm | Seattle
Join the Church Council to celebrate the collective power we've been building and invest in the sustainability of our shared work to come. Meet new staff and board members and learn about priorities for the Seattle Budget Roundtable, Immigration Organizing, and responsible investments campaign.
VOLUNTEER
Engage with JCIJ!
Build community with asylum-seeking families at Riverton Park United Methodist Church by volunteering with the Family Support Program. This program will provide essential community support for immigrant community members amid Riverton’s funding cuts and lay-offs. 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.
JCIJ VOICES
JCIJ volunteers have surpassed 500 accompaniments so far in 2026, showing us both the incredible power of solidarity and the increased need from immigrant community members. Accompaniment volunteers walk side by side with immigrant community members as they enter intimidating spaces, including high-stakes immigration appointments like ICE check-ins and court hearings. We want to express gratitude to all JCIJ accompaniment volunteers and leaders for their steadfast commitment showing up for community members, meeting the moment, and keeping eyes on the system. These coordination efforts are making a strong impact to combat the immense threats of deportation, detention, and community separation.
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 7am-2pm, and request accompaniment. Note: Please give as much lead time as possible. The Jewish Coalition will dispatch trained accompaniment volunteers.
RESOURCES
NWIRP Resources | Northwest Immigrant Rights Project
Watch NWIRP’s Immigration Update from August 2026.
NEW: Use NWIRP’s new resource about navigating mega master hearings.
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 template for you to organize with your neighbors and defend your neighborhood. Use the templates to create a community defense plan where you live!
LOCAL NEWS
WA Kenyan community, health care workers alarmed by uptick in ICE arrests | KUOW
Residents of this rural Washington town want their ‘mayor’ out of ICE detention | KUOW
ICE nighttime raid targets WA family camping over Labor Day weekend | Seattle Times
‘Unaccompanied’ immigrant teen in WA faces likely order to leave U.S. | The Spokesman-Review
FEDERAL NEWS
A Quiet ICE Surge That Unfolded ‘Everywhere All at Once’ This Summer | New York Times
Democrat says ICE restricted her oversight visit to country’s largest detention camp | The Guardian
Newsom again vetoes bill to allow undocumented college students to work on campus | Cal Matters
Giant community-made “MN Stolen Neighbors” quilt unveiled at the state capitol | Fight Back! News
ICE has wasted tens of millions to carry out Trump’s mass detention agenda – report | The Guardian
Banished to alien lands: Trump’s secret deportation deals | The Guardian
Trump has ended TPS for 13 countries. Salvadorans are still waiting for an answer | Politico
How 9/11 Supercharged Immigration Enforcement | The Marshall Project
Immigration briefing: ICE eyes mobile detention as Texas agent shooting sparks outcry | NPR
Minnesota churches roiled by legal battle over ICE surveillance and right to protest | PBS
If You Thought Immigration Policy Couldn’t Get Any Crueler | New York Times
SONGS IN THE KEY OF JCIJ
Curated by Dina Burstein
Happy Pharrell Williams Because Sukkot, the harvest festival, calls upon us to be happy!
Believe In Kindness Deirdre McCalla
Which Side Are You On Natalie Merchant We are called upon these days to choose.
High Sierra (2015 Remaster) For the joy of listening to Linda Ronstadt, Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris.
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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Volunteer for or learn more about accompaniment, legal support, advocacy, and more.