Please Join Us!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.  The "Know Your Rights with Law Enforcement" document put together by Council on American-Islamic Relations. Also offered in English, Arabic, Bengali, Bosnian, Farsi, Somali, and Urdu. Alternate versions available for specific situations. CONTACT: CAIR-WA Executive Director Masih Fouladi, 714-801-0349; CAIR-WA Communications Coordinator Jessica Schreindl, jschreindl@cair.com, 206.367.4081 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 Immigrants Rising just released 2020 List of Scholarships and Fellowships that undocumented students can apply to—now containing 344 undergraduate and 302 graduate/post-graduate scholarships and fellowships, including 425 for non-DACA! Learn More: immigrantsrising.org/2020scholarships or visit their Facebook page.
  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)
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. ________________________________________________________________________ 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:
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. ________________________________________________________________________ In Case You Missed It... (Highlights from JCIRA's monthly mtg in October)
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. ________________________________________________________________________ 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.   We had an amazing time yesterday at the Immigration Seminar at Clallam Bay Corrections Center. Lawyers, community organizers and advocates from the inside and out came together for educational presentations, direct immigration legal consultations, community building, and to learn how to better fight back against the ways immigrants are oppressed within the WA DOC. We were proud to be in attendance alongside amazing folks from (click for links): APICAG - Asian and Pacific Islanders Cultural Awareness Group Nuestro Grupo Cultural STREETS API Chaya FIGHT Washington Defender Association Columbia Legal Services   Thursday, October 3, 6:00 to 8:30 pm, Benefit Dance for JCIRA at Finn River Farm and Cidery in Chimacum. World music by DJs David Bonobo and Johan, and the Port Townsend Village Drummers!
All contributions benefit JCIRA. Bring your friends and family - children especially welcome. Enjoy the beautiful setting in Finn River in a comfortable covered space. Sip local cider, eat yummy food. Share your commitment to helping immigrants here at home and on the Border. |
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