News and Commentary
Get in Touch
Press inquiries should be directed to the TASC Group at workerscircle@thetascgroup.com; 347-901-9352.
In Mississippi Today: ICE detainees and nonprofit denounce ‘inhumane conditions’ in Natchez facility
Mississippi Today covered the inhumane treatment inside of the Adams County Detention Center, an ICE detention center in Natchez, Mississippi, and the Workers Circle’s advocacy to close it.
In WINK News: Federal inspection finds multiple violations at Alligator Alcatraz as former detainees and families speak out
WINK News covered the ongoing investigation into Alligator Alcatraz and the longterm the center has perpetrated on detainees and their family members.
The Workers Circle Hosts Virtual Table Read of ‘An American Tail’ with Star-Studded Cast
On Thursday, September 10, at 9:00 p.m. ET, the Workers Circle hosted a virtual celebrity table read of the Academy Award-nominated animated classic, ‘An American Tail.’ This live, one-night-only event raised over $300,000 for the Workers Circle programming, drew over 10,000 virtual attendees and featured performances by celebrated actors. The virtual table read was directed by Steven Tabakin who brought the performance to life. Cast members included Jesse Eisenberg, Sarah Cooper, Richard Kind, Bernadette Peters, Mark Hamill, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Alan Kim, Dulé Hill, Oscar Nunez, Jose Andrés Rivera, Tracie Thoms, Paola Lázaro and more.
The Workers Circle Hosts Virtual Table Read of ‘An American Tail’ with Star-Studded Cast
On Thursday, September 10, at 8:30 PM ET the Workers Circle will host a live, virtual celebrity table read of the Academy Award-nominated animated classic, ‘An American Tail.’ The cast includes Jesse Eisenberg, Dulé Hill, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Mark Hamill, Richard Kind, Alan S. Kim, Paola Lázaro, Kelly McCreary, Bernadette Peters, Josh Andrés Rivera and Tracie Thoms, among others. The event will be emceed by Ken Jeong and Whoopi Goldberg, who will bring their signature humor, warmth, and energy to the evening.
In the Hill: Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Hamill to join pro-immigration ‘American Tail’ live reading
The Hill covered the Workers Circle’s upcoming Virtual Benefit, a table reading of the beloved film An American Tale, featuring stars including Mark Hamill, Jesse Eisenberg, Dulé Hill, Bernadette Peters, and more.
Ann Toback’s Statement on Supreme Court Mail-in Ballot Ruling
“Make no mistake about what happened here. This was a procedural ruling — the Court did not bless the legality of Trump's executive order to curtail access to mail-in voting for millions of Americans, and plainly stated that nothing about its implementation is guaranteed to be lawful. But the effect is real: it clears the way for the federal government to insert itself between voters and their ballots, weeks before those ballots go out.”
In the Guardian: People detained at Mississippi ICE facility say they were sickened by gas leak and denied medical care
The Guardian covered the inhumane treatment of people detained in an ICE facility in Mississippi and the important work that the Workers Circle is doing to organize Freedom Vigils and fight back against ICE’s fascism.
The Workers Circle, Asian Law Caucus, and 23 Civil Rights Groups Urge Supreme Court to Block Trump Order Threatening Mail-in Ballots
The Workers Circle, Asian Law Caucus, Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Atlanta, Missouri Voter Protection Coalition, South Asian American Justice Collaborative, Common Cause, and 23 other civil rights organizations today filed an amicus brief in the United States Supreme Court urging the Court to reject the Trump administration’s request to reinstate Executive Order 14399, which threatens mail-in voting, while litigation continues.
CBS, ABC, and more cover Workers Circle Freedom Vigil in North Carolina
CBS News, ABC, and others covered a recent Workers Circle-organized Freedom Vigil in Raleigh, NC.
Photo credit: CBS News
In CBS News and the Miami Herald: Wives of detainees at federal detention center in Miami draw attention to inhumane conditions
CBS News and the Miami Herald covered a press conference co-organized by the Workers Circle drawing attention to the inhumane conditions at a federal detention center in Miami. As a direct result of the press conference, some detainees have been released from solitary confinement.
Photo credit: Pedro Portal
Families of Detained Men to Hold Emergency Press Conference on Abuse and Retaliation at the Federal Detention Center in Downtown Miami
Families of men detained at the Federal Detention Center (FDC) in Downtown Miami will hold an emergency press conference on Wednesday, July 15, at 2:00 p.m. outside of the facility to speak out against the abuse, retaliation, and inhumane conditions their loved ones say they are enduring inside.
In Religion News Service: As Israel divides Jewish communities, Yiddish draws a new generation
As Israel divides Jewish communities, Yiddish draws a new generation. NPR and RNS features Francesca Rubinson.
Alligator Alcatraz Closed for Good.
Today, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and White House Border Czar Tom Homan, and Florida State Board of Immigration Enforcement Executive Director Anthony Coker, just finished a press conference at Alligator Alcatraz where they said that the detention camp is now closed and would not be reopening. Noelle Damico, Director of Social Justice at the Workers Circle responded.
The Workers Circle and Sanctuary of the South Celebrate Legal Victory While Vowing to Continue Fight for Everyone Still Detained
FEDERAL JUDGES ORDER RELEASE OF MEN FORMERLY DETAINED AT ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ
The Workers Circle and Sanctuary of the South Celebrate Legal Victory While Vowing to Continue Fight for Everyone Still Detained
In Response to the Supreme Court’s TPS Decision
In a 6-3 vote, the Supreme Court has ruled that the court cannot review the government’s decisions to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Syria and Haiti.
Ann Toback, CEO of the Workers Circle responds.
Noelle Damico’s Response to ICE Spokesperson’s Statement about Alligator Alcatraz
“As Floridians will remember, Alligator Alcataraz was opened during hurricane season last year, so their belated concern for the welfare of people detained at Alligator Alcatraz – people who they have shackled and put in torture boxes, denied medical treatment, pepper-bombed, given rotten food – strains credulity.:
Ann Toback’s Statement on Blank Check for ICE
“Congress just voted to direct $70 billion more in taxpayer dollars to ICE and Customs and Border Patrol — more than triple its last annual budget — despite them fomenting widespread terror in communities across the country.”
The Workers Circle and Community Catalyst, Arianne Betancourt, featured in the Daily Beast
In case you missed it, The Daily Beast featured a story about Workers Circle organizer Arianne Betancourt and the Workers Circle’s efforts: “A woman helped free her father from a detention facility once described as ‘a copy of Guantánamo’—catching the president’s attention.”
“‘Alligator Alcatraz’ detainees say guards deny them food and clean water until they sign English documents” The Workers Circle featured in the Guardian
Detainees say they’re given ‘rotten’ water and denied meals for not signing papers in English that they don’t understand. Noelle Damico, Director of Social Justice at the Workers Circle, believes it is connected to reports of the facility closing.
In Mother Jones: Trump Congratulated Him on His Freedom. Alligator Alcatraz Left Him With a Stroke.
In case you missed it, Mother Jones featured the story of how the Freedom Vigils outside so-called Alligator Alcatraz helped Arianne Betancourt to free her father, Justo Betancourt, and how the fight continues until it is shut down for good and all detainees are released.