1) Northwest Immigration News: A December 27 article in the Los Angeles Times reports how "The Northwest turns up the heat on ICE, making it harder to arrest and deport immigrants."  JCIRA believes you'll find this article inspiring, and at the same time, we hope it moves all of us to continue the struggle for immigrant rights with conviction in 2020. 

2.) See Forbes,  "The Most Inspiring Immigration Stories of 2019." 

3) Alejandro Santiago - Latin American Art Gallery: Responsible for the creation of the documentary "Twenty Five Hundred and One", which documents the ambitious project by Alejandro Santiago to populate his village in Oaxaca, Mexico with 2,500 life size ceramic sculptures. The sculptures were created to replace the large number of the people who left the village in order to seek higher paying jobs in the United States.

Seattle, WA – Enrique Ahumada Meza (Mr. Ahumada) settled a lawsuit against the City of Marysville involving two separate occasions in which the City of Marysville unlawfully detained Mr. Ahumada in late 2017 and early 2018. According to the terms of the settlement, the City agreed to pay Mr. Ahumada $85,000 for violating his Fourth Amendment rights by unlawfully detaining him pursuant to a detainer issued by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). In addition, the City has changed its policy to ensure that other immigrants are not unlawfully detained. Mr. Ahumada was represented by the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP) and McNaul Ebel Nawrot & Helgren PLLC in the case. The case was originally filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.

State and city law enforcement do not have authority to enforce federal immigration laws and cannot hold immigrants based on a detainer or civil immigration warrant from ICE, unless that detainer is accompanied by a warrant signed by a federal judge. Under its new policy, the City of Marysville will not detain people based on immigration detainers or civil immigration warrants. The policy also reflects recent updates to Washington state law as it sets limits on sharing information with federal authorities, provides for warnings to a detained individual before federal immigration officers can interview a City inmate, and makes clear the prohibitions on notifying immigration authorities about the release of an inmate, among other changes. These changes bring the City’s policy in line with the Keep Washington Working Act, S.B. 5497, which became law last May.

Mr. Ahumada was first detained by the City of Marysville Police Department in December 2017, when officers refused to let Mr. Ahumada go because of an ICE detainer, even though a state court had already ordered his release from custody. Mr. Ahumada was subsequently transferred to ICE custody at the Northwest Detention Center and released on bond in February 2018. After Mr. Ahumada’s release, on February 14, 2018, he turned himself into the Marysville Police Department because his time in immigration detention had caused him to miss a state court hearing. The state court again ordered him released, but the Marysville Police Department unlawfully detained Mr. Ahumada again, this time overnight, based on an ICE detainer. During this second detention, the Department also denied Mr. Ahumada access to critical medication that he must take daily. He was transferred to ICE’s custody on February 15, 2017. ICE then realized he had just bonded out and let him go a second time.

“Every time that I think about what the City of Marysville did to me, it brings up painful memories,” remarked Mr. Ahumada. “But I am glad that the City has changed its policy so that other immigrants like me do not have to suffer the same wrongs and treatment that I experienced.”

“This settlement agreement underscores what federal courts have already made abundantly clear: that local governments are not authorized, and may be held accountable, when they choose to hold someone to enforce civil immigration law,” said Matt Adams, Legal Director for NWIRP.

“At a time when immigrants are being unfairly targeted throughout the United States, it is essential that courts enforce their rights and uphold the rule of law. We are gratified the City of Marysville agreed to change its policy and to compensate Mr. Ahumeda for the mistreatment he endured,” said Avi Lipman and Curtis Isacke of McNaul Ebel Nawrot & Helgren PLLC.

A link to the complaint can be found here

A copy of the settlement agreement and new policy can be found here

Media Contact: 
​Matt Adams, Northwest Immigrant Rights Project
206-957-8611, matt@nwirp.org

​A PEOPLE’S DANCE
Friday, January 24, 7-10 pm
Rosewind Common House - Umatilla St, at Haines.
Hosted by DJ Ellen Bonjorno, our PT, KPTZ and NYC friend (who’ll be in town that week.)  A fun community event! Why not?  Plus, we will raise funds for a worthy cause – JCIRA!
Please note that Rosewind Common House is a fragrance-free and shoe-free space. People are welcome to bring and wear slippers.
Connect via the Facebook Event page:                         https://www.facebook.com/events/586359898765625/
 
PT SONGLINES WINTER CONCERT
Saturday, January 25, 7 - 9 pm
Cotton Building, 607 Water St, next door to Elevated Ice Cream
Experience the joy of singing with your friends and neighbors.  Songs by co-directors Laurence Cole and Gretchen Sleicher will be featured, including several inspired by the lives of immigrants and refugees.
Suggested donation $15-$20. No one turned away for lack of funds.
Connect via the Facebook Event page: 
​https://www.facebook.com/events/903858790008680/

Breaking: (Seattle, WA, 1/5/20) – CAIR Washington is assisting more than 60 Iranians and Iranian-Americans of all ages who were detained at length and questioned at the Peace Arch Border Crossing in Blaine, Wash.

Those detained reported that their passports were confiscated and they were questioned about their political views and allegiances. CBP officials contacted at the Blaine Port of Entry provided no comment or reasons for the detentions.

Masih Fouladi, executive director of CAIR-WA. “We are working to verify reports of a broad nationwide directive to detain Iranian-Americans at ports of entry so that we can provide community members with accurate travel guidance. We will continue to update the community and other civil rights organizations as we obtain more information.”
​
Take Action Items:
Share the Know Your Rights : 
https://www.cair.com/KnowYourRights
📰 Share the Press Release: http://bit.ly/CAIRWABreakingNews
📱Follow CAIR Washington Facebook: http://bit.ly/CAIRFB

Next Steps:
• If you or your family is being impacted by these operations, you can call the hotline at 1-844-724-3737 so we can connect you to the organizations and support.
• Organizational reps are currently working at the locations reported to assist directly impacted families.
• A coalition is organizing an united organized form of support. CAIR will share how we can support as developments unfold.

Tuesday, Jan. 21, 4:30 - 6:00pm; contact jcirawa@gmail.com for the address.
Annie Benson has devoted her professional life to working for social justice. From 2000-2014 her work at the Washington Defender Association (WDA) focused on defending the rights of noncitizen defendants, especially those faced with deportations while in prison. Since then, she has been the Senior Directing Attorney at the WDA, a collaborating attorney with the Immigrant Legal Resource Center ... and a supporter and friend of JCIRA.
 
Annie's current work deals with laws and actions to limit ICE and Border Patrol enforcement in Washington state.  A strong bill dealing with this issue was passed and signed by Gov. Inslee in May, 2019 - but what's actually happening on the ground? How can individuals and non-profit organizations protect immigrants and help this bill succeed?

​BE SURE TO JOIN US FOR THIS SPECIAL LOOK INSIDE OUR OWN STATE'S IMMIGRANT RIGHTS ISSUES

​
Our mission is to support the rights of immigrants and their families, giving priority to those who live or work on the Olympic Peninsula and immigrant detainees within Washington State, through access to legal services, standing witness, family support, community education and advocacy for local, state and national issues.​
________________________________________________________________________
​
Upcoming Events!!
 
1.  NO JCIRA GENERAL MEETING IN DECEMBER
2. Next JCIRA Gen. Mtg.  Tuesday Jan. 21., 4:30-6pm. For meeting location, please contact jcirawa@gmail.com
3.  Thursday, Dec. 12, Our Lady of Guadalupe Celebration (see box below)
​
​Join in Our Lady of Guadalupe Celebration!
 

On Thursday, December 12, in honor of the Mexican patron saint, Our Lady of Guadalupe***, you are warmly invited to walk with the immigrant community or cheer them on along their procession route. See all the children marching and dancing in their finest regalia! Enjoy great Mariachi music!
 
People will meet at 11:00 in front of La Isla and Quimper Mercantile, with the procession starting shortly after. Please join in. Otherwise, line the parade route to encourage and show your support. (Water St, left on Taylor, up the hill on Washington, Harrison to St. Mary’s Church)
 
At the church there will be a mass and rosary with mariachis from 1:00 until 2-2:15.
 
Or come back for the POT LUCK with more Mariachi music following the mass at 2:15. Please bring food even if you can’t stay, but do stay if you can.  A wonderful celebration is guaranteed. 

EVERYONE IS INVITED!
 
****According to legend, in 1531, during the early colonial years of Mexico’s history, the Virgen Mary appeared to an indigenous boy named Juan Diego in the area outside of Tenochtitlán, which is now Mexico City.  She was dark-skinned and spoke the native language of central Mexico, Nahuatl. On the site, a cathedral was built to honor this vision of Mary. The Virgin n of Guadalupe, as she is known, soon became the patron saint of all of Mexico.  The day of her final visit to Juan Diego, December 12, has been an official national holiday in Mexico since 1859. In 1945 Pope Pious XXII crowned Our Lady of Guadalupe as “Empress of the Americas”.  She is seen as the champion of the underdog, of the Indigenous people, and of all those who lack power in society. She continues to be greatly revered and celebrated by Mexicans. 
________________________________________________________________________

In Case You Missed It

(Highlights from JCIRA's monthly mtg in November)    

• Election of new and renewing JCIRA board members
• Membership forms and request for donations will be mailed & emailed in December. Membership expires at the end of each calendar year
• There is NO December general meeting; the January meeting will be on Tuesday, 1/21.
• Continued discussion of local community "sponsorship" (housing and food) for asylum seekers awaiting their court hearing
• A short video made by ACLU regarding asylum seekers forced to wait in Mexico, and talking-points and phone #s for calls of protest to our congressional delegation

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Sponsorship -- An Opportunity for Our Community


JCIRA is trying to increase our impact by seeking to house one or more asylum seekers in the East Jefferson County area.  Those we are seeking to house have passed their first “credible fear interview” and now are awaiting their asylum hearings in immigration court.  They are in the US legally while going through this process.  Nevertheless, they are being held in detention until individuals or families can be found to house them for 3 to 12 months. (The immigration court system is slow!)

We are still in the research stage, but have located many resources and people to help—everything but the housing.  If you would like to know more about helping with this effort, please contact us at jcirawa@gmail.com or 360.531.2656.
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 End of Year Donation to JCIRA
 
We thought it couldn’t get much worse for immigrants, but it has.  Families at the border are still detained, and tens of thousands live on the streets in Mexico, waiting for the US asylum line that barely moves.  The racism inherent in this administration’s immigration policy becomes more and more blatant. The path to citizenship becomes harder and harder. Uncertainty and fear have become a constant companion for immigrants and their families as hardline immigration policy is replaced with even worse policy, often without Congressional approval.
 
JCIRA was formed in 2017 to provide positive support for immigrants living on the Olympic Peninsula, including those impacted by detention in Washington.  We are a small organization, but the need is great.  We have no paid staff, so except for basic organizational expenses, all donations go directly to support immigrants. 
 
With the help of local donors, in 2019 we:

• Publicized and helped make available low-cost legal services to immigrants through collaboration with Kitsap Immigrant Assistance Center (KIAC).  We now have a fully functional office in Port Townsend to provide legal assistance.
• Distributed [JW1] more than $13,000 to Peninsula immigrant families facing deportation or for emergency needs, $1000 bond money and $1000 for emergency relief at the border.
• Expanded our Hotline service to Forks and affiliated with a  statewide hotline network.
• Worked with immigrants at the Clallam Bay Correctional Center..
• Organized frequent local rallies locally and at the NW Detention Center.
• Met with law-enforcement, legislators and other leaders on behalf of immigrants
• Worked closely with many local and regional activist and immigrant groups.

  
Your donation will help JCIRA respond to new challenges.  Donations of $20 (or less for limited income) include a 2020 JCIRA membership.  How to give:
 
1.   Donate online at www.jcira.org. We accept credit/debit card and Paypal
2.   Donate by mail by completing and returning the form below.
 
 
 Name: _____________________________________________________________
  
Address: ____________________________________________________________
 
                ☐I’d like to donate anonymously         ☐I’d like to learn about volunteering
 
   Email:  __________________________  Phone: __________________________
 
   Donation amount:    
         ☐  $20 (basic membership)   $☐ _____(limited income: what you can afford)   
         ☐ $50    ☐ $75    ☐ $100      ☐ Other:_________
 
 
JCIRA is a federally registered 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization.  Donations are tax-deductible as allowed by the lRS.  Please write checks to JCIRA and mail with this form to PO Box 647, Port Townsend, WA 98368.
 
 
To give through the UGN annual campaign,
click here https://www.givejefferson.org and scroll through catalog to JCIRA entry.

 [JW1] 
_______________________________________________________________________________

JCIRA Needs!!

Volunteer needed - Does anyone have federal tax experience and is willing to occasionally assist immigrants needing help with their taxes?  Please contact Libby Palmer  libbypalmer2@gmail.com
 
********************************************************************
Research needed  - Have you been following the presidential candidates' campaigns?   Have you read their platforms on immigration?  JCIRA cannot and will not endorse any political candidates but it is important to share immigration information with others.  Contact Libby Palmer, libbypalmer2@gmail.com if interested
________________________________________________________________________

Other News
 
1. Port Townsend Priest Ordered to Leave Country
An excellent local article giving details of the USCIS letter to Father Peter.
https://www.ptleader.com/stories/pt-priest-ordered-to-leave-country,66497

2.  USCIS Proposes Drastically Increased Fees for Common Immigration Applications.  COMMENT NOW - DEADLINE IS DECEMBER 16
The url links to the official governmental site for comments.  Phone messages and postcards are not accepted.

Our mission is to support the rights of immigrants and their families, giving priority to those who live or work on the Olympic Peninsula and immigrant detainees within Washington State,  through access to legal services, standing witness, family support, community education and advocacy for local, state and national issues.
________________________________________________________________________

Upcoming Events!!
 
Tuesday, Nov. 19, 4:30-6pm,  JCIRA Monthly Meeting 
Agenda will include election of new JCIRA Board Members (see box below for more info). Members can also vote by emailing their vote to jcirawa@gmail.com by 11/18.     
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In Case You Missed It...

(Highlights from JCIRA's monthly mtg in October)

• Bruce Springsteen and his band accompanied us as we sang "This Land Is Your Land".
• Board Member elections will be held at the November General Meeting.  All JCIRA members in attendance can vote. A JCIRA membership form will be included in the November Newsletter.
• Report on the Tacoma Detention Center rallies and efforts to close detention centers nationwide.
• Update on the Backpack Project.
• Report on initial exploration of "sponsoring" in our community persons released from the Detention Center and awaiting legal proceedings.
• Budget surplus allocations.
• Report on Rapid Response Team training in Forks and East Bremerton.
• An Accompaniment Story - a difficult but successful (so far) relocation in Nebraska of a family fleeing violence in Central America.

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JCIRA Board Elections
 
More info about the board, if you are interested:
Each board member serves staggered two-year terms.  There are
7- 12 board members and so each year about half of the board rotates off the board or may run for re-election.   We advertised the upcoming elections and solicited for candidates through our newsletter and at our general meetings.

We have six candidates for the six open positions, so none of the positions is contested this year.  New Board Member Officers will begin their terms in January of 2020.  If you are interested in being considered for the Board in the future, please let us know!


 ________________________________________________________________________
 
Get Involved!

If you've been wondering how JCIRA supporters can help respond to an ICE or BP event here in Jefferson County, take this Rapid Response online training.  It will give you the basics, and then we can fill in a few details that show the slight local variations that JCIRA uses. Unfortunately, this conflicts with the JCIRA monthly meeting, but may be worth choosing over the meeting if you are interested in becoming a member of our Rapid Response Team.  

Rapid Response Network Training

Tuesday, November 19      5-7 PM
Register for online training at: 
https://actionnetwork.org/forms/waisn-rapid-response-webinar-trainings
​
The above Training will be facilitated  by Monserrat Padilla from Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network (WAISN)
 
​The Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network's - Rapid Response Network (RRN) is a community defense project developed to protect immigrant & refugee communities from deportation threats and to provide support during and after a community member’s arrest or detention. JCIRA is part of the WAISN Rapid Response network.

For more information contact Jean: jmwalat@gmail.com. 
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Retrial of Scott Warren Set for Nov. 12th in Tucson

​Scott Warren is a 36-year-old aid worker with the Tucson-based humanitarian group No More Deaths/No Mas Muertes. Warren was indicted on one count of conspiring to smuggle two Central American men in January 2018 and two counts of harboring them at a structure in Ajo known as The Barn that is used as a staging area for humanitarian aid efforts. He testified he leaves water and food for cross-border migrants in the treacherous deserts near Ajo. He also searches for migrants in distress and has recovered 18 sets of human remains believed to belong to migrants. His trial in June of this year resulted in a hung jury split of 8-4 leading to a retrial set to begin on November 12th. 

What follows is a letter sent by his parents, 
In one week, our son Scott will face federal charges  for the third time this year for his humanitarian efforts along our southwest border.  He has already stood trial on federal misdemeanor charges for putting water in the desert and on federal felony charges for offering food, water & clothes to two migrants from Central America.  He is now being re-tried on the felony charges because in June a jury  failed to reach a verdict in his case.

We want to invite everyone who has stood with our son over the past year to  join us on Sunday, November 10th at 1pm MST for a webinar hosted by No More Deaths/No Mas Muertes.  This webinar will give you the tools to clearly and concisely talk with your community about our son's case and why the criminalization of aid work poses a grave threat to our democracy.  Register  here.

Additionally, if you are outraged about the government's ongoing prosecution of aid workers in the midst of a crisis of death and disappearance, we invite you to  write an op ed or letter to the editor and to  post on social media during his trial.

________________________________________________________________________

OTHER NEWS
 
1. Most Major Banks Divesting from Private Prisons and Detention Centers
The American Friends Service Committee (The Quakers) reports "In a remarkable development, almost all major U.S. banks have announced they would stop financing companies that run private prisons and immigration detention centers, particularly the two companies that dominate this industry, CoreCivic and GEO Group." For the AFSC report click here.

2. Good News Department - The New York Times reports research that shows "Immigration to the United States has consistently offered a route to escape poverty — if not for poor immigrants themselves, then for their sons....If the American dream is to give the next generation a better life, it appears that poor immigrants have more reliably achieved that dream than native-born Americans have." Click here for the NYT article.

JCIRA joined in La Resistencia's October 12th campaign kick-off rally to shut down the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma.

From La Resistencia:
This is the official launch of a concerted statewide effort to end detentions and deportations in our state:
"We believe in ending immigration detention. As such, we call for the shutdown of the Northwest Detention Center (NWDC) in Tacoma, Washington. Immigration detention has no place in Washington State, or anywhere else. We believe that immigrants belong with their families and communities."

To learn more about La Resistencia, check out their new website: http://laresistencianw.org/

#ShutDownNWDC

UPDATE: Kilmer has agreed to sign on!
​________________________________________________________________________
Urge REP. DEREK KILMER TO SUPPORT THE ACT

MONDAY, SEPT. 23, 12 – 1 PM

On Water Street, Port Townsend, starting at Adams Street Park next to Nifty Fifties, ending at Pope Marine Park

The NO BAN Act (H.R.2214) to end the Muslim Ban is going to get a hearing in the House on Tuesday 9/24.

The bill is sponsored by Judy Chu (CA) and has 165 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives, including Susan del Bene, Pramila Jayapal, Adam Smith, Rick Larsen and Kim Schrier, all of Washington state. BUT NOT Derek Kilmer! Please email him here: https://kilmer.house.gov/contact/email-me to ask him to sign on to the bill. Having this happen over the weekend, so staff get these emails Monday, is the best we can do at this late date.

We are concerned that the public is forgetting about the impact of this ban. It restricts entry into the United States for all nationals, including refugees, of mostly Muslim-majority countries–Syria, Iran, Yemen, Libya, Somalia–but also includes North Koreans and certain Venezuelan government officials.