JCIJ September Newsletter
September 2, 2026 • 20 Elul 5786
TASTE OF HONEY
We’re starting the school year – and about to start the Jewish New Year – with gratitude for the JCIJ community! On Sunday, over 100 new and familiar faces joined us at our annual Summer Gathering.
Thanks to your donations to our back-to-school mutual aid drive, folks at the Summer Gathering assembled over 50 back-to-school kits, sent a mountain of classroom supplies, and made new year greeting cards for students in Tukwila. Michael and Abby, two teachers at Cascade View Elementary, spoke about the needs underserved families at their school have who are also at risk of detention and deportation.
We heard from JCIJ Executive Director Andrea Soroko Naar about what we’re seeing on the ground, including an escalation of ICE activity in the Seattle area and a drastic increase in accompaniments: JCIJ has completed almost 500 accompaniments so far this year, compared to 315 accompaniments in 2025.
It’s clear how deeply hostile immigration enforcement affects impacted communities. Like Andrea shared on Sunday, incredible resources critical to impacted community need our support, like the Fair Fight Bond Fund, which helps release people from detention as the cost of bond is higher than ever.
We need all of us to show up, walk side-by-side with immigrant community members, and use our power to fight against this inhumane and unjust system! Like we shared at the Summer Gathering, your actions can make a difference: volunteer with JCIJ, and keep reading for ways to take action for immigrant justice with JCIJ and our partners.
Thank you to those who joined us on Sunday, and to you, the dedicated members of the JCIJ community! We’re grateful for the reminder from Stefanie of Brivele, who performed at the Summer Gathering, to show up joyfully, with dedication–and with a soundtrack of anti-fascist Klezmer music.
At the Summer Gathering, we shared what’s happening on the ground, how we’re responding, and what we’re anticipating in the coming months. We also highlighted local supports for immigrant community members, including the Fair Fight Bond Fund, which helps release people from detention.
Since 2018, the Fair Fight Bond Fund, created by the Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network, has helped post bond for more than 156 people, reuniting families and giving individuals the opportunity to fight their immigration cases from home rather than from detention. The Fair Fight Bond Fund is the only community-funded bond fund in the Pacific Northwest.
Every bond posted means someone can return to their family, reconnect with legal counsel, access medical care, and prepare for their case with dignity. It is a direct and immediate way to change a person's life.
TAKE ACTION
📣 Tell USCIS: Don't strip asylum seekers of their right to be heard!
USCIS has issued a new rule that lets immigration officers refer asylum seekers straight into deportation proceedings — without ever giving them an interview. For decades, this interview has been the first opportunity for asylum seekers to explain their case to a trained asylum officer before anything else happens. Under this new rule, an officer can decide if someone doesn't qualify for that discussion — and refer them straight to removal proceedings — based on paperwork alone. The officer's decision letter won't even have to say whether they found the person’s claims to be credible.
This rule is already in effect. But for a limited time it's open for public comment, and every comment becomes part of the official record — a record that matters for future legal challenges and oversight.
Use HIAS’ public comment tool to tell USCIS how this rule will harm asylum seekers! Submit your comment by September 28, 2026.
📣 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.
Southend Indivisible | Know Your Power Against ICE
September 9, 2026 | 6:00-7:30 PM | Tukwila
Immigration attorney and frequent JCIJ partner Jay Stansell joins Southend Indivisible for a presentation and community conversation about the law, your rights, and your power.
WAISN | Rapid Response Training
September 9, 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
September 16, 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.
WAISN | Know Your Rights Training
September 16, 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.
NWIRP | Wenatchee Solidarity Social
September 16, 2026 | 6:00-8:00 PM | Peshastin
Enjoy an evening of food and drinks at the beautiful Icicle Ridge Winery while mingling with NWIRP’s fantastic Wenatchee staff, hearing impactful stories about NWIRP’s work, and getting the opportunity to support their mission.
NWIRP | Virtual Training: What DV/SA Advocates Need to Know About Representing Immigrant Survivors of Violence in 2026
September 22 and 23, 2026 | 9:30 AM-12:30 PM | Zoom
Join NWIRP’s upcoming training for advocates who support survivors of domestic violence or sexual assault. Experienced NWIRP legal staff will provide training and updates on the immigration system, specific forms of relief available to immigrant survivors of violence, and more.
WAISN | Accompaniment Training
September 23, 2026 | 2:00-5:00 PM | Zoom
Become an Accompaniment Volunteer with WAISN to support immigrants as they navigate the immigration system. Join WAISN’s upcoming virtual training (in English) where volunteers will learn to provide support through immigration court appointments while gaining a deeper understanding of the impact immigration systems have on our communities. Please note: Volunteers trained by WAISN will join WAISN’s Accompaniment Program. Becoming an active volunteer with JCIJ’s Accompaniment Program requires a JCIJ-led training (next date TBD).
El Centro de la Raza | Building the Beloved Community Gala
September 26, 2026 | 5:00-9:00 PM | Seattle
Support El Centro de la Raza’s efforts to make Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream of a “Beloved Community” a reality at their annual Building the Beloved Community Gala. Join their efforts to support more than 22,000 vulnerable children, youth, families, and seniors who rely on their programs and services every single day.
Town Hall Seattle | Sonali Kolhatkar: Breaking ICE – The Frontline of Community Resistance
September 28, 2026 | 7:30 PM | Seattle
Journalist Sonali Kolhatkar comes to Seattle to discuss her new book, Breaking ICE: Community Defense Against State Terror and MAGA Fascism, with La Resistencia’s Josefina Mora-Cheung. Breaking ICE documents the growing movement against state violence, featuring interviews with those on the frontlines of the fight for immigrant justice.
VOLUNTEER
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.
New opportunities:
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. Volunteers will visit families about twice a month, and connect with the larger program lead team once a month.
Volunteer to support the one of two Hospitality Tables outside of office buildings for immigration surveillance appointments. 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.
The five founders of the Jewish Coalition for Immigrant Justice at JCIJ’s Summer Gathering on August 30, 2026. At front is Diane; at back, from left to right are Katie, Ruth, Dina, and Andrea.
In June, Advocacy Intern Hannah met with JCIJ community member Diane Behr, who co-founded JCIJ in 2017. Diane is a familiar face in the local Jewish and justice communities; she has spent decades leading social justice efforts with her family, temple, and JCIJ. Read Hannah’s interview with Diane to learn more about and honor her decades of work!
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
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 Todayhighlights 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
WA driver data still used in ICE arrests, UW report shows | The Seattle Time
New records detail ICE arrests in WA during summer surge. Yakima, Seattle top the list | KUOW
WA ACLU sues feds after asylum-seeking family was held in windowless cell for 4 weeks | KUOW
Oregon, Washington plan to defend in-state tuition for immigrant students | OPB
Will ICE take control of the privately run detention center in Tacoma? | KUOW
$20 million in long-term care money for WA immigrants to cover fewer than 200 people | KUOW
WA resident Lewelyn Dixon, held by ICE for 3 months, now U.S. citizen | The Seattle Times
FEDERAL NEWS
Fled to America at 11. Stole at 18. Deported to Vietnam at 44. | The New York Times
Trump Bill for Mass Deportations: $268.9 Billion, and Counting | Institute for Policy Studies
The True Story of Why Immigration Agents Raided a Chicago Apartment Building | ProPublica
Inside Trump’s Failed Hunt for Noncitizen Voters | ProPublica
New immigration court tactic leads to huge lines and chaos in Miami | NPR
Sanctuary policies are keeping prisoners in local jails away from ICE | Washington State Standard
Trump administration moves to impose more than $100,000 fee for H-1B worker visas | Reuters
With new tactics, ICE reaches new high in monthly arrests | Washington State Standard
Trump’s Immigration Policy Echoes 1920s Turn Against Certain Newcomers | New York Times
Trump’s 75-country immigrant visa ban struck down by judge | CNN Politics
‘They Opened the Door and Pulled Us Out’: How ICE Descended on a Town | The New York Times
What Happened in Minneapolis | The New Yorker
How Trump Is Trying to Weaken Migrant Children’s Legal Defense | The New Yorker
SONGS IN THE KEY OF JCIJ
Curated by Dina Burstein
Fix You by Ben Harper and Soweto Gospel Choir - This beautiful song raises the question: can we fix each other?
Imagine Dragons' Believer performed by One Voice Children's Choir - I turned to Manny (9.5 years old) for this song choice. He can sing every word.
Petit Pays by Cesaria Evora - Beautiful music from Cape Verde.
Deportee by Dolly Parton - Rest in peace and power, Dolly.
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, advocacy, and more.