Washington
In Washington’s streets, a new popular consensus on Palestine
I took an early train into Washington, D.C. on July 24. As I stepped out of Union Station, I found myself in the company of hundreds of police officers, armed men with heavy brows and assault rifles. Around me, protesters with Palestinian flags and keffiyehs oriented themselves in the heat, all arriving from out of town.
The presence of the police — some of whom were bussed in from New York, 240 miles to the north — was for the benefit of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was set to speak to Congress that day. The capital pulsed with the threat of violence.
I walked southwest to Pennsylvania Avenue toward the National Gallery of Art, where demonstrators had begun to gather. Several large tour buses had pulled in, each carrying more protesters. A large stage had been erected at one intersection and people walked around as speakers remonstrated from the podium.
Heavily-armed police seen during the pro-Palestinian protests in Washington, July 24, 2024. (Arie Leib Abrams/Flash90)
Many wore red t-shirts, representing the “red line” that President Joe Biden claimed to have set for Netanyahu and the Israeli army in Rafah, the southernmost city in the Gaza Strip. At various points the crowd erupted in chants: “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” and “Netanyahu, you can’t hide — we charge you with genocide.”
The previous day had seen seven major U.S. labor unions call for an end to the war on Gaza, which many experts now agree constitutes a genocide. The unions represent seven million Americans and are stalwarts of Democratic Party politics, with critical mobilizing power ahead of the November elections. They issued a public letter to Biden insisting that “immediately cutting U.S. military aid to the Israeli government is necessary to bring about a peaceful resolution to this conflict.”
That same day, Jewish Voice for Peace, an anti-Zionist organization, staged a mass protest in the rotunda of the Cannon House Office Building, where many Congressional representatives maintain their offices. The protesters there also wore red shirts, many of them proclaiming, “Not in my Name.”
Pro-Palestinian protesters in Washington demonstrate against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his speech to the U.S. Congress, July 24, 2024. (Kerem Gencer)
These coordinated mobilizations represent a stark break from the logic that underpins the Democratic Party’s support for Israel. The various groups that comprise the Shut It Down coalition, which organized the demonstration in Washington, have never aligned with the Israel lobby that the Democrats, like the Republicans, have embraced for decades. In fact, the coalition’s success in turning out huge numbers of people on the streets magnifies the perception that the grip of the lobby, and its ability to marginalize dissenting voices, is breaking.
Brandon Mancilla, Regional Director and member of the United Auto Workers’ International Executive Board, said to me, “The fate of our country is in the balance and voters have made it very clear that a majority of Americans support an end to the war,” noting that 83 percent of Democrats back a ceasefire.
“We’re here also because we have great concern for the future and workers rights in our country and that’s intimately tied to the fate of the Palestinian people and the continuation of this war,” he said. “If we’re serious about protecting democracy and the labor movement, we can’t have the return of Donald Trump. In order to do that, we need to have a different course on Gaza.”
Pro-Palestinian protesters in Washington demonstrate against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his speech to the U.S. Congress, July 24, 2024. (Arie Leib Abrams/Flash90)
Israel’s Guardian
The Democratic Party has been slow to acknowledge the chasm between the views of the overwhelming majority of its base and its leadership’s unwavering support for an apartheid state. But change is in the air.
Many took note in March, for example, when Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer explicitly called for a new government in Israel on the Senate floor. For liberal Zionists like Schumer, the genocide in Gaza is a source of alarm primarily because of its impact on Israel’s international reputation — but that has not undermined his commitment to the Israeli state project.
Schumer once described himself in the following way: “My name … comes from the [Hebrew] word ‘shomer,’ which means ‘guardian.’ My ancestors were guardians of the ghetto wall in Chortkov and I believe [God], actually, gave [my] name as one of my roles that is very important in the United States Senate, to be a shomer for Israel, and I will continue to be that with every bone in my body.”
Senator Chuck Schumer speaks to the 2018 AIPAC Policy Conference in Washington DC, March 5, 2018. (Courtesy of AIPAC)
Memorably, he also sought to undermine the Barack Obama administration’s efforts to engineer a nuclear deal with Iran. Schumer’s break with Netanyahu was thus consistent with his longstanding efforts to put Israel first — ahead of any single Israeli leader, and even ahead of his own party and president.
The Senate majority leader’s denunciation was notable for another reason: it was further evidence that the “bipartisan consensus” on Israel — the hegemonic view among American politicians that Israel is democratic, enlightened, strategically vital, and not an apartheid state — was breaking.
Netanyahu’s speech to Congress was, in part, a result of these developments in American domestic politics. Mike Johnson, the Republican speaker of the house, sought to exploit the apparent breach in the bipartisan consensus by inviting the prime minister, a widely acknowledged war criminal, to speak. Yet perhaps to Johnson’s surprise, the invitation was supported by both Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic leader in the House.
Johnson may have mistaken mild disagreements between liberal Zionists like Schumer and Netanyahu, for actual disagreements on substance. While Schumer and Netanyahu may diverge on whether road signs in Israel should carry both Hebrew and Arabic lettering, they do not fundamentally disagree that Israel must remain a “Jewish state” by working zealously to secure and maintain superior rights for Jewish citizens.
Pro-Palestinian protesters in Washington demonstrate against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his speech to the U.S. Congress, July 24, 2024. (Arie Leib Abrams/Flash90)
Nor do they disagree on America’s essential commitment to protecting Israel in every forum. Schumer explained his support for Netanyahu’s invitation by saying that “America’s relationship with Israel is ironclad and transcends one person or prime minister.” In a sense, they represent the poles on the narrow spectrum of opinion among members of the Israel lobby, represented institutionally by center-right JStreet and far right AIPAC in America.
Jeffries’ support, meanwhile, likely springs in great part from the fact that he cannot afford to alienate the Israel lobby; he undoubtedly took note of AIPAC’s success in unseating Jamaal Bowman, a congressman Jeffries personally endorsed.
Smash-mouth politics
Jeffries is in many ways a lagging indicator of the Israel lobby’s power in America. But there is reason to believe an opening is developing, one that may herald generational change.
Schumer, Biden, and other politicians of their generation represent the tail end of a vanguard in Washington. Today, there appears to be less uncritical support for Israel among elected public officials and their voters. Among Democrats, there is growing outrage at AIPAC’s funneling of money to Republicans in competitive primaries, which is driving the perception that the organization is fundamentally a Republican organ. More than 100 Democrats — half of the party’s representation in Congress — boycotted Netanyahu’s speech, compared to 50 abstentions in 2015, when he last issued a bipartisan address.
Pro-Palestinian protesters in Washington demonstrate against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his speech to the U.S. Congress, July 24, 2024. (Arie Leib Abrams/Flash90)
As Chris Habiby, the National Government Affairs and Advocacy Director for the Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) said to me on Wednesday in Washington, “We’re putting together a comprehensive list of who attended and who didn’t to identify allies.” The goal, he said, is “to identify and expand our coalition of allies,” including people who may support an embargo on U.S. arms shipments to the Israeli army, and to “empower Arab American [and other] voters to organize and use their voices to have a real impact on elections,” and consequently, on policy.
Amid the genocide in Gaza, the fragmentation of the Israel lobby’s power has only accelerated. The campus protests which spread across the United States this past spring highlight a generational change which may lead, in time, to a bottom-up change in policy. As Stephen Walt, co-author of The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy, said to me, “Israel has lost the war for uncritical acceptance, especially among people under 40. The battle for the moral high ground has been lost. What’s left is power politics — the naked political power of groups like AIPAC.”
The “smash-mouth politics” which was showcased with Netanyahu’s appearance in Washington is also drawing the ire of some on the American right, too. Thomas Massie, a Republican in the House of Representatives, spoke openly and derisively with the conservative media commentator Tucker Carlson about the “AIPAC babysitters” who attend his fellow Republicans.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at the AIPAC Conference in Washington, D.C. on March 6, 2018 (Haim Zach/GPO)
But it is on the left that the change is most visible. Columns in The New Republic and the New York Times have voiced opposition to Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro as Kamala Harris’s possible vice presidential pick, primarily because of his record comparing anti-war students for Palestine to the Ku Klux Klan. As one opinion writer at the New York Times put it bluntly, “by not putting Shapiro on the ticket, Harris avoids splits in the party over the war in Gaza.”
‘This is where the people are’
By noon of July 24, the protesters in Washington had succeeded in shutting down six intersections in the capital. They soon began marching toward the Capitol building, where the police used pepper spray against them. I had ducked into a nearby building to watch a livestream of Netanyahu’s speech, which ran alongside clips from the march: a policewoman wielding a baton, and a protester burning an effigy of Netanyahu.
Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein addresses protesters in Washington, July 24, 2024. (Kerem Gencer)
Before I left Washington, however, I spoke with Jill Stein, the Green Party candidate for President. I asked her why she was participating in the demonstration. “I’m here because the genocide has to stop,” she said. “This is where the power is. This is where the people are.”
“I’m also here because I’m a Jew,” she added. “I was raised just after the Holocaust, in a Jewish community, attending a Jewish synagogue where we were coming to terms with a genocide. And coming to terms with a genocide had everything to do with not allowing it to ever happen again.”
Her views were strongly resonant all around me. Many of the young people who are turned off by the Democratic establishment have witnessed the Gaza genocide in real time on their phones or computer screens. They watched videos of Palestinian children beheaded by Israeli bombs, or of far-right Israelis rioting in support of alleged rapists in the army, and they understandably recoil.
And while they may not be able to stop the destruction of Palestinians in Gaza today, they are tomorrow’s voters. And horror is not easily forgotten.
Photo by Elman Studio.
June 30, 2026 (Washington, D.C.) – The Washington Chorus (TWC), DC’s most dynamic choral ensemble, celebrates its 65th anniversary during the 2026-2027 season. Through thought-provoking pairings of classic major choral works, artistic collaborations, and groundbreaking premieres, TWC celebrates its history of providing an inclusive community where choral music connects, reflects, and inspires everyone while continuing its mission of creating transformative musical experiences that bring people together through the joy of choral music.
“Our 65th season showcases TWC’s commitment to honoring choral tradition while embracing the living voices shaping American music today,” said TWC Artistic Director Eugene Rogers. “We look forward to serving the entire D.C. community, bringing new audiences into our special anniversary celebration through this repertoire and outstanding guest artists.”
The season begins with TWC’s guest appearance with the National Symphony Orchestra for Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, conducted by Gianandrea Noseda at Wolf Trap’s Filene Center on Friday, August 14, 2026 at 8:00 p.m. On Thursday, October 15, 2026 at 7:30 p.m. at Joseph Myerhoff Symphony Hall; Saturday, October 17, 2026 at 8:00 p.m. at Music Center at Strathmore; and Sunday, October 18, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. at Meyerhoff TWC joins Marin Alsop and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra for John Adam’s On the Transmigration of Souls as part of the BSO’s Alsop Conducts Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique concert.
The Washington Chorus’s own season kicks off with two weekends of A Candlelight Christmas concerts in December, continuing its beloved holiday tradition now reimagined in new venues across the city. This cherished program brings together The Washington Chorus with the National Capital Brass and Percussion Ensemble, alongside award-winning music director, organist, and conductor Paul Byssainthe Jr., soprano Colleen Daly, and jazz-mezzo Christie Dashiell. The program will also feature the premiere of a new work by Evelyn Simpson-Curenton. Blending timeless carols with vibrant new voices, A Candlelight Christmas offers a warm and luminous celebration of the season – honoring tradition while embracing the rich musical spirit of our community. Venue and performance info are listed below.
In the new year, The Washington Chorus presents A Song Flung Up to Heaven: Honoring 65 Years of TWC on Sunday, February 28, 2027 at 3:00 p.m. at DAR Constitution Hall. The program juxtaposes two major works from contrasting origins – Nkeiru Okoye’s When the Caged Bird Sings and Poulenc’s Gloria – that treat sacred themes with a striking blend of reverence and theatricality. Together, these two major works meld European and American musical traditions into a powerful, life-affirming concert experience with a deep connection to spiritual rituals, while each composer’s innovation imbues them with new discoveries and uncovers mysteries of the human condition.
The centerpiece of this performance is the East Coast premiere of Dr. Nkeiru Okoye’s dramatic work When the Caged Bird Sings – a “musical ceremony” fusing many genres, including opera, musical theater, spoken word, and choral singing, and American musical styles including gospel, spirituals, traditional anthems, and jazz. Okoye’s evocative new piece celebrates the spirit of rising above expectations and transforming adversity into triumph through the milestones in the life of one Black woman. Partly in tribute to the activist and poet laureate Maya Angelou, the work celebrates and explores the transformative ability of the human spirit, commemorating those who have paved a path for future generations. The concert opens with a cornerstone of 20th-century sacred music, Francis Poulenc’s Gloria, which first premiered in 1961, the same year as TWC’s founding.
In May, TWC partners with the National Philharmonic to present Requiem and Renewal featuring Mozart’s monumental Requiem. This will be preceded by Jocelyn Hagen’s large-scale symphonic work, What the Soul Already Knows, on Saturday, May 8, 2027 at 7:30 p.m. at Music Center at Strathmore. Jointly commissioned by Pacific Chorale under the direction of Robert Istad and The Washington Chorus, the work will have its East Coast premiere as part of TWC’s 65th Anniversary Season.
Rooted in an exploration of the sacred – in both the physical world and the unseen – the work invites listeners to reflect on the deep interconnectedness of all life. At its core, What the Soul Already Knows is a meditation on our shared humanity and the potential for beauty that arises when we live in alignment with gratitude, unity, and service. The title received inspiration from the book Sacred Earth, Sacred Soul by Celtic spiritual teacher John Philip Newell, whose writings illuminate the sacred as present not only in heaven, but within the earth and all living beings. Both Hagen’s and Mozart’s works are meditations on the soul in a program that asks: What is the soul, what is sacred, and how should we live – before and beyond death?
Closing the season is a theatrical version of Giuseppe Verdi’s Requiem with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and conducted by its Artistic Director Jonathon Heyward on Friday, June 11, 2027 at 8:00 p.m. at Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall; Saturday, June 12, 2027 at 6:00 p.m. at Music Center at Strathmore; and Sunday, June 13, 2027 at 3:00 p.m. at Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. This staged performance of Verdi’s masterpiece is our third collaboration with Heyward and the BSO’s multi-year Verdi Opera Initiative.
Performance Information
Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony
Friday, August 14, 2026 at 8:00 p.m.
Filene Center, Wolf Trap | 1551 Trap Road | Vienna, VA 22182
Tickets: $57 – $132
Link: wolftrap.org/show/26filene/081426/
Program:
Beethoven – The Consecration of the House – Overture
Beethoven – Elegiac Song, Op. 118
Beethoven – Symphony No. 9
Artists:
National Symphony Orchestra
Gianandrea Noseda, conductor
Tessa McQueen, soprano
Cecelia McKinley, alto
Demetrious Sampson, tenor
Jonathan Patton, baritone
The Washington Chorus
Eugene Rogers, artistic director
_______________________________
Alsop Conducts Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique
Thursday, October 15, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.
Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall | 1212 Cathedral Street | Baltimore, MD 21201
Saturday, October 17, 2026 at 8:00 p.m.
Music Center at Strathmore | 5301 Tuckerman Lane | North Bethesda, MD 20852
Sunday, October 18, 2026 at 3:00 p.m.
Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall | 1212 Cathedral Street | Baltimore, MD 21201
Tickets: Subscriptions are on sale now, with single tickets on sale August 2026
Link: my.bsomusic.org/20342/20381
Program:
Barber – Adagio for Strings
John Adams – On the Transmigration of Souls
Tchaikovsky – Symphony No. 6, “Pathétique”
Artists:
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Marin Alsop, conductor
The Washington Chorus
Eugene Rogers, artistic director
_______________________________
A Candlelight Christmas
Saturday, December 11, 2026 at 3:00 p.m.
Sunday, December 12, 2026 at 3:00 p.m.
Cramton Auditorium, Howard University | 2455 6th St NW | Washington, DC 20059
w/Howard University Chorale
Friday, December 18, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, December 19, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. & 3:00 p.m.
Lisner Auditorium, George Washington University | 730 21st St NW | Washington, DC 20052
Monday, December 21, & Tuesday, December 22, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.
Music Center at Strathmore | 5301 Tuckerman Lane | North Bethesda, MD 20852
Link: thewashingtonchorus.org/2026-27-season
Program:
Evelyn Simpson-Curenton – NEW WORK (World Premiere)
Artists:
Eugene Rogers, conductor
Christie Dashiell, soloist (Dec. 11, 12, 21 & 22)
Howard University Concert Choir (Dec. 11 & 12)
Eric Poole, conductor
National Capital Brass and Percussion Ensemble
Paul Byssainthe Jr., organ & piano (Dec. 18 -22)
Reservoir High School (Dec. 18 & 19)
Gregory Knauf, conductor
South Loudon Youth Chorale (Dec. 21 & 22)
Laura Lazarevich, conductor
_______________________________
A Song Flung Up to Heaven: Honoring 65 Years of TWC
Sunday, February 28, 2027 at 3:00 p.m.
DAR Constitution Hall | 1776 D Street NW | Washington, D.C. 20006
Link: thewashingtonchorus.org/2026-27-season
Program:
Poulenc – Gloria
Nkeiru Okoye – When the Caged Bird Sings
Artists:
Eugene Rogers, conductor
Denyce Graves, narrator
Cyrus Chestnut, piano
Angela Brown, soprano
Christie Dashiell, jazz mezzo
Issachah Savage, tenor
Michael Preacely, baritone
The Washington Chorus
Howard University Chorale
Dr. Eric Poole, director
_______________________________
Requiem and Renewal
Saturday, May 8, 2027 at 7:30 p.m.
Music Center at Strathmore | 5301 Tuckerman Lane | North Bethesda, MD 20852
Tickets: Single tickets are on sale beginning Thursday, July 23, 2026
Link: nationalphilharmonic.org/event/what-the-soul-already-knows-requiem-renewal/
Program:
Jocelyn Hagen – What the Soul Already Knows
Mozart – Requiem in D Minor
Artists:
National Philharmonic
The Washington Chorus
Eugene Rogers, conductor
Rabihah Dunn, soprano
Ashley Dixon, mezzo-soprano
Brian Giebler, tenor
Alan Williams, baritone
_______________________________
Heyward Conducts Verdi’s Requiem
Friday, June 11, 2027 at 8:00 p.m.
Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall | 1212 Cathedral Street | Baltimore, MD 21201
Saturday, June 12, 2027 at 6:00 p.m.
Music Center at Strathmore | 5301 Tuckerman Lane | North Bethesda, MD 20852
Sunday, June 13, 2027 at 3:00 p.m.
Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall | 1212 Cathedral Street | Baltimore, MD 21201
Tickets: Subscriptions are on sale now, with single tickets on sale August 2026
Link: my.bsomusic.org/overview/20358
Program:
Giuseppe Verdi – Requiem
Artists:
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Jonathon Heyward, conductor
The Washington Chorus
Eugene Rogers, artistic director
___________________________
About The Washington Chorus
The Washington Chorus (TWC) is one of the foremost symphonic choruses in the nation and a cultural leader in our nation’s capital—creating joyous and transformative choral music since 1961. TWC is noted for the superb artistry of its performances and recordings of the entire range of the choral repertoire. A three-time nominated and two-time Grammy Award-winner, the 220-voice Chorus presents performances annually across the DMV region. TWC is also a longtime artistic partner and collaborator with many of the nation’s leading organizations and artists, including the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO), National Philharmonic (NatPhil), Washington Performing Arts (WPA), and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO). TheWashingtonChorus.org
About Eugene Rogers
Lauded for leading performances of “pure magic” (Washington Post), conductor Eugene Rogers is at the vanguard of American musicians, recognized for his musical and educational leadership around the world. Rogers is a committed conductor, teacher, arranger, and industry thought leader, championing timely new works, bringing historically overlooked music to life, and supporting next-generation talents.
Rogers is a two-time Michigan Emmy Award winner, a 2017 Sphinx Medal of Excellence recipient, and was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2015. Musical America magazine has named him one of the top music industry professionals, and his work has been profiled on CNN, PBS, and on radio stations and in print and online publications across the world.
Since 2020, Rogers has served as Artistic Director of The Washington Chorus. He is also the Founding Director for EXIGENCE, a professional vocal ensemble affiliated with the world-renowned Sphinx Organization, highlighting artistry within Black and Latinx communities. Alongside his own appearances as guest conductor for orchestra, chorus, and opera, he has also proudly acted as chorus master to leading conductors including Gianandrea Noseda, Marin Alsop, Jonathan Heyward, Joe Hisaishi, and James Conlon.
Rogers is a Professor of Music and the Director of University Choirs at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre, and Dance. He is a former board member of Chorus America and is the former national chair of the Diversity Initiatives Committee for the American Choral Directors Association. Rogers is also active as an arranger, with publications including the Eugene Rogers Choral Series with ECS Publishing and the EXIGENCE Choral Series for Mark Foster Publishing.
WASHINGTON (7News) — D.C. is looking forward to an economic boost from added tourists this summer.
Tourism numbers for the America 250 celebration are looking positive. Hotel bookings are up, as D.C. prepares to celebrate America’s birthday.
The National Mall is ground zero for the 4th of July festivities, with the Folklife Festival, the 4th of July Parade, fireworks and free museums. Plus, this year, there is an extra emphasis on historic and cultural exhibits. 50 million visitors are estimated to inject millions into the local economy.
SEE ALSO | ‘Packed to the brim’: Trump says 45K guests attend Great American State Fair rally
“It’s very hard right now for us to tell you exactly what the economic impact is. overall, events like this, we typically don’t know the impact until after the event has taken place,” said Elliott Ferguson, Destination DC CEO.
According to Destination DC, 27.2 million people visited D.C. in 2025, up 20,000 visitors from the year before. They spent almost $12 billion, bringing in $2.5 billion in tax revenue and creating more than 114 thousand jobs.
SEE ALSO | World Cup delivers win for America’s economy, image
International visitation declined by 4%.
This summer of 2026, hotel bookings are up. More than two dozen hotels have DC250 packages, hoping to attract overnight guests. Luxury hotels are reporting record packages.
Visitors to the District pump billions directly into the local economy, accounting for over $11.4 billion in recent annual visitor spending and generating $2.3 billion in local tax revenue. And there’s a strong demand for the July 4 period.
D.C. has also secured 18 conventions for 2026, estimated to bring in $317(m) according to Exhibitor Online. This influx saves the average D.C. household more than $3,600 in taxes.
“As we look at the events with America’s 250 and the events that this Trump administration is bringing to the city, it has been positive for the industry,” Ferguson added.
Major openings are adding to the expected summer tourism boom, including the National Geographic Museum, renovations to the Air and Space Museum, and the new Lincoln Memorial Undercroft exhibit. The Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C., will take place Aug.22 to 23, 2026, marking the firstever IndyCar series race on the National Mall.
These tourism dollars are critical, saving the average D.C. household more than $3,600 in taxes, as D.C. is facing headwinds from reductions to the federal workforce and commercial real estate challenges.
Bagel shop manager Fernando Mejia was arrested by federal agents just over a year ago in the Port Washington store’s parking lot. Since then, including Monday evening, members of the Port Washington community have kept a weekly vigil to honor Mejia, who they consider one of their own, and bring attention to how his abrupt arrest, and ultimate deportation, left a void in his family, at his workplace and among anyone in town who knew him.
For 52 consecutive Mondays, they have flocked to the Main Street side of the Port Washington Long Island Rail Road station as a tribute to Mejia and their other immigrant neighbors who have been arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and never returned home. The weekly 7 p.m. effort, dubbed the “Port Shines a Light in a Sea of Darkness” vigil by organizers, began a few weeks after Mejia’s June 12 arrest and has continued, even after he agreed to self deport and return to family in his native El Salvador.
Vigil co-organizer Jeff Seigel, 68, told the crowd of about 75 people — many toting handwritten protest signs — that Mejia was “doing well, although well is a relative term.”
Mejia is unable come back to Port Washington to see his teenage daughter, who stood in the crowd Monday evening and who Seigel said flies to El Salvador for visits.
Fernando Mejia was arrested by federal agents on June 12, 2025 outside the Port Washington bagel shop he managed. Credit: Courtesy: Lauren Wax
“He came here when he was about 20 years old, and here in the United States is where he became a man,” Seigel, 68, said. “He worked very hard, always. And it is here in the United States where he became a father. … After five months in detention, he could no longer wait to see if the immigration court would rule in his favor.”
Mejia, the former manager of Schmear Bagel & Cafe on Main Street, one block west of where each vigil is held, was one of about 3,000 Long Islanders arrested by federal immigration agents through March 10 as part of President Donald Trump’s ramped-up deportation push since his return to power, Newsday previously reported.
Mejia had just started his car in the bagel shop’s parking lot about 6:30 a.m. on June 12 to make a delivery when federal agents converged and placed him under arrest. Over the months that followed, Mejia bounced from facility-to-facility — first in Manhattan, then in Newark, Louisiana and Miami. He does not have a criminal record, his attorney, Bryan Richard Pu-Folkes, previously told Newsday. Pu-Folkes said at the time Mejia was likely detained due to a January 2006 deportation order from the Executive Office for Immigration Review for unlawful presence in the country.
Pu-Folkes did not immediately return a phone message Monday seeking comment. Mejia could not be immediately reached for comment.
The weekly efforts help community organizers raise awareness and funds for legal fees and even food for immigrants in the community. Another goal, said Stan Lacy, also a vigil organizer, is distributing whistles throughout the community. As Lacy and other members of Port Washington’s Rapid Response Network drive around Port Washington and encounter ICE agents, they blow whistles to alert immigrants of their presence.
After a trio of arrests “a little over a month ago,” ICE’s presence has been “relatively quiet,” he said.
Fellow organizer Stacey Mellus told Newsday the weekly vigils sometimes draw immigrants thankful for the community support, but not so much “when more ICE activity is in the area, when the climate gets a little more hot.”
“I witnessed one of those abductions here, you’re never going to get over something like that,” Mellus, 50, of Port Washington, said. “I’m never going to get over seeing people separated from their families, people yelling ‘don’t take my husband.’ “
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