Remembering ICE Victims on Día de Los Muertos
Ways to Take Action for our Immigrant Neighbors
Dia de los Muertos altar at the La Peña Cultural Center honoring ICE victims.
This Dia de los Muertos, we mourn the deaths of the more than 60 people who have died as a result of ICE detentions since the beginning of the second Trump administration.
We also condemn the surge in detentions taking place here in CA. Since early October, more than 100 people have been detained in the Central Valley. According to Teresa Romero, President of the United Farm Workers, ICE agents are “hunting farm workers under the cover of darkness, positioning themselves on rural roads very early in the morning, stopping pickup trucks loaded with tools and workers. They are targeting roads that are used mainly by farm workers, so there aren’t other people around to interfere or bear witness.”
Here in the Bay Area, there has not been a surge in detentions. However, there have been three cases of violent detentions by ICE. According to Bay Resistance, “federal agents appear to have used excessive force in two arrests, one in Emeryville and one near San Antonio Park in Oakland. Both people were injured and taken to the hospital to receive care. On Monday morning, an ICE agent in plain clothes pulled a gun on a man who appeared to be on his way to work in San Francisco’s SoMa neighborhood. He was then thrown to the ground and handcuffed by uniformed officers.” All three individuals are being supported by their local rapid response hotlines.
In this newsletter, we list many ways you can support immigrants in our community, from volunteering to accompany immigrants to a court appearance, to writing letters to detainees, or by donating to support detainees and their families. Please help in whatever way you can.
Together we can make a difference!
-The FLPIR newsletter team
Dolores Huerta Presente!
We celebrate the life of Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the United Farm Workers, who passed away on October 28. Dolores dedicated her life to fighting for justice and better living conditions for farmworkers, immigrants, women and children. Her courage, perseverance and unwavering commitment in the struggle for human rights and dignity is an inspiration to us all. We will honor your memory by continuing the struggle!
ICE Out of Highland Hospital!
On Tuesday, October 27 over 30 nurses, staff people, and community members spoke at a joint meeting of the Alameda County Board of Supervisors and Alameda Health Services (AHS) regarding the recent ICE presence at Highland Hospital. On October 16, a member of our community was violently detained by ICE agents in Emeryville and then transported to Highland Hospital where he was treated for six broken ribs. No warrant was provided by ICE when he was admitted to the hospital. ICE agents were continuously present in the patient’s room, parked in the parking garage and another area provided by the hospital, and then escorted him out of the hospital to an unknown location.
Read more.
Fired Immigration Judges Speak Out at La Peña Event
FLPIR’s “Turn Outrage into Action: Immigrants, the Courts, and You” event on Oct. 25, 2026 at La Peña Cultural Center was a huge success. The room was overflowing, the speakers were excellent, the music was inspiring, and many people signed up to volunteer with the immigrant support groups who were present.
For a short article about the event, go here.
Urgent: Volunteers Needed for Habeas Corpus Intake (English & Spanish)
Currently there are thousands of detainees being held in ICE Detention Centers in California. Habeas petitions are one of the most effective ways to get people released from ICE detention, although it doesn’t apply in all situations. Habeas Advocates is an all volunteer group made up of lawyers, paralegals, translators, and intakers which started in late 2025 with just two people and has now grown to 30 members. So far they have succeeded in getting 40 people released!
Volunteers are needed as intakers to collect information from relatives and friends of the detained person. Translators are also needed to translate documents into English. Each volunteer commits to working 5 hours a week from home.
To volunteer, contact FLPimmigrationrights@gmail.com
Join the FLPIR Business Outreach Team & Attend the “Know Your Rights Business Outreach” Training
Date & time: Monday, Nov. 9, 4-5 p.m.
Location: Virtual
Support your community with business outreach education and support in San Francisco or the East Bay. You will develop relationships with business owners, managers, and employees, in order to help immigrants and their employers prepare for encounters with immigration enforcement. Join Karen C. and Sherry V. for a 1-hour Zoom training; they have been doing this outreach for a year. You will learn how to approach contacts and receive access to continually-updated materials to share with businesses.
Ways You Can Help Detainees in CA
FLPIR volunteers packed 50 backpacks with supplies for immigrants who are released from detention. The backpacks were delivered to a sister organization in the Central Valley by the Interfaith Movement 4 Human Integrity.
1 . Donate Commissary for People detained to get food & phone calls they need to survive, especially those without family who can support them. You can help be their community! KWESI: Supporting commissary deposits to all people within the Kern County detention centers. Kwesi will be prioritizing commissary donations to WOMXN in detention in California City. Donate any amount you are able to $25, $50 or more. Learn more about KWESI here. (from Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity)
2 . Write to Those in Detention. Host a letter-writing event to those in detention, especially before the holidays. You will receive a toolkit and a volunteer will guide you on the next steps. To get involved or for more information, contact: lettersofhope@im4humanintegrity.org.
3. Support Families of People in Detention. Donate to Faith in Action East Bay and Faith in Action Bay Area to support families who are struggling because a breadwinner has been detained by ICE.
4. Volunteer with the following organizations that provide training and coordinate ways to help immigrants:
Faith in Action Bay Area—accompany immigrants to court hearings, ICE check-ins, etc.
Interfaith Court Vigils at ICE—provide a presence and spiritual solidarity at immigration courts
Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity (IM4HI)—help people complete Asylum Applications (the Pro-Se Orientation Program).
SAFE Center—become a Welcome Navigator at Concord Immigration Court and help immigrants who are attending hearings.
Other ways to connect
Red Cards Available in Multiple Languages
Do you need Know Your Rights (KYR) Red Cards to pass out to people at your school or work or in your neighborhood? We have red cards in these languages: Spanish, Burmese, Cantonese, simplified Chinese, Hindi, Punjabi, Amharic, Portuguese, Hmong, Urdu, Japanese, Thai, Farsi, Tagalog, Korean, and Vietnamese. We also have Spanish/English yellow cards (Rapid Response). Send your request to FLPimmigrationrights@gmail.com with the amount you are requesting of each language and your mailing address. A small donation is requested.
Volunteer Opportunities with North Star Network
The North Star Network assists individual immigrants living in the U.S. who would like to emigrate to Canada. They have a long waiting list of immigrants who wish to receive free legal support and counseling. Founded by Quaker immigration lawyers, North Star Network provides volunteer counselors with training and mentoring, including weekly follow-up sessions. Volunteer counselors meet immigrants one-on-one on Zoom, to assess eligibility for specific legal pathways to Canada.
If you are interested in becoming a NSN Counselor, complete a NSN volunteer application.
Become a FLPIR volunteer! Help us protect our neighbors and make a difference!
Hand out and explain Know Your Rights cards
Do outreach to businesses
Join “Court Watch” and “Welcome Navigator” programs
Help immigrants prepare Asylum Applications
Adopt a Corner
Help with FLPIR events
More resources
For the October news articles about ICE, detention centers, children in detention, and more, compiled by FLPIR, go here.
"Gracias"
By Rafael Jesus Gonzalez
Gracias y benditos sean
el Sol y la Tierra
por este pan y este vino,
esta fruta, esta carne, esta sal,
este alimento;
gracias y bendiciones
a quienes lo preparan, lo sirven;
gracias y bendiciones
a quienes lo comparten
(y también a los ausentes y a los difuntos.)
Gracias y bendiciones a quienes lo traen
(que no les falte),
a quienes lo siembran y cultivan,
lo cosechan y lo recogen
(que no les falte);
gracias y bendiciones a los que trabajan
y bendiciones a los que no puedan;
que no les falte — su hambre
hace agrio el vino
y le roba el gusto a la sal.
Gracias por el sustento y la fuerza
para nuestro bailar y nuestra labor
por la justicia y la paz.