Workers Circle brings families of those imprisoned in Alligator Alcatraz to U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on DHS Oversight
Founded by Jewish immigrants fleeing autocracy, the national social justice organization is demanding an end to the Department of Homeland Security’s reign of terror
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 3, 2026
Media Contact: The TASC Group
Email: workerscircle@thetascgroup.com, 347-901-9352
NEW YORK – Today, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee held an oversight hearing focusing on the Department of Homeland Security and the Trump Administration’s immigration enforcement policies. The Workers Circle, a national Jewish social justice organization, helped family members of those currently imprisoned in ICE detention camps at Alligator Alcatraz, Krome Detention Center in Miami and Stewart Detention Center in Georgia, to attend the hearing, ensuring that U.S. Senators and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem were forced to witness and contend with the human beings who are suffering as a consequence of DHS’s current policies.
Rooted in a deep, historical understanding of state-sanctioned violence and a rich cultural tradition of organizing, the Workers Circle has convened “Freedom Vigils” outside of Alligator Alcatraz for 31 consecutive weeks. These peaceful protests bring people from all backgrounds together, including family members with loved ones who are currently detained, as well as community members, faith leaders and other advocates, to learn about, bear witness to and spotlight the inhumane conditions faced by individuals held inside U.S. detention facilities and to oppose the cruel abductions, detentions and deportations happening everyday across America. Over the last 6 months this peaceful protest has catalyzed hundreds of “Freedom Vigils” outside of ICE detention camps across the country and mobilized thousands of people to reject these policies.
People from across the country whose relatives are currently suffering in ICE detention and who have participated in the Workers Circle’s “Freedom Vigils” came to Washington today to give visibility and voice to those whom DHS has disappeared and silenced.
“As Jews, we know what happens when good people stay silent while neighbors are dragged from their homes,” said Ann Toback, CEO of the Workers Circle. “We know that these detention camps are designed to punish, intimidate and ultimately silence people. Not just those locked away, but neighbors and people in surrounding communities as well. Freedom Vigils help people find community and fight fear; they are a deafening moral ‘no’ to these vicious operations and a demand for the Constitutional rights due to all people.”
“What’s going on right now is immoral and inhumane. This is not a Democrat or a Republican issue, it’s a humanitarian issue of the highest order and we must come together bring this injustice to an end” said Julian Anthony Miranda, whose 66 year old grandfather has been held at Alligator Alcatraz since November 6th after he was taken following his yearly check-in at ICE Court in Miramar, Florida.
This hearing occurs at a moment when ICE has already doubled the number of detention facilities it is utilizing across the nation, and President Trump’s DHS is pushing for even more detention camps. In late February, Americans learned that the Trump Administration was pursuing an additional $45 billion in congressionally appropriated funds to build new ICE facilities across the country.
“Thank you to the brave advocates of detained or deported loved ones for travelling here to be with us today. Your presence is a reminder that the policies implemented by DHS under Secretary Noem's leadership have a devastating impact on real people. The Homeland Security Department has been devoid of any moral compass or respect for the rule of law,” said U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Those interested in connecting with or learning more about the Workers Circle and those present today should visit www.freedomvigils.org or contact workerscircle@thetascgroup.com
About the Workers Circle
Celebrating its 125th anniversary in 2025, the Workers Circle is a national Jewish social justice organization founded by Eastern European immigrants who came to the United States fleeing autocracy and persecution and seeking democratic freedoms and economic opportunities. That history drives the organization’s work for an inclusive democracy and social equality today. Through strategic and impactful social justice initiatives, vibrant Yiddish language classes and programs, and interactive educational activities, the Workers Circle powers a growing multigenerational community of 200,000+ activists creating meaningful social change, building transformative coalitions, and demanding a multiracial multicultural democracy for all.