The Progressive Action Roundtable mission is to inform the greater New Haven community about the activities of many progressive groups, so that people may learn about them and become involved in discussions and actions on issues for the common good, such as peace, health, racial equity, justice, clean energy and the environment.
Please submit copy to PAR at parnewhaven@hotmail.com. 375 word limit. Questions? Call Paula at 203-562-2798.
The next issue is our September issue.
Subscription: $13 for 10 issues, check payable to PAR, 608 Whitney Avenue, New Haven, CT 06511
by Thomas Breen, May 12, 2026, New Haven Independent
A Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU) nursing student from Ecuador has returned home to Connecticut after spending more than a month in federal immigration detention, including, most recently, in southern Louisiana.
The statewide immigrant-advocacy group CT Students for a Dream announced that news in a Tuesday afternoon press release.
That press release states that Keyla Vasquez-Zuniga was granted a $15,000 bond and released from the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center in Basile, La., on Saturday, May 9.
Her release came less than a week after an immigration judge granted Vasquez-Zuniga a $15,000 bond, and two days after CT Students for a Dream stepped up its fundraising to help secure her release, cover her legal costs, and help her travel back from Louisiana to Connecticut.
“I’m really thankful for all of the help and support I received from everyone. Your kindness, encouragement, and patience truly meant the world to me. I honestly couldn’t have gotten through everything without the people who stood by my side and believed in me even during this difficult period,” Vasquez-Zuniga is quoted as saying in Tuesday’s press release.
“Every message, and every little act of support made a bigger difference than you probably realize. I’ve learned so much from this experience, and I’ll always be grateful for the love and positivity I was surrounded by. Thank you for always being there for me, for lifting me up when I needed it most, and for reminding me that I’m never alone. I appreciate each and every one of you more than words can explain.”
[To read this article in its entirety, please go to bit.ly/3PBwhjG]
The Progressive Action Roundtable newsletter does not publish in July or August. Please check our website par-newhaven.org for any updates about July or August events. Our next issue will be the September issue.
The Progressive Action Roundtable newsletter does not publish in July or August. If your organization has events planned for the summer, send the information by May 18 to parnewhaven@hotmail.com so that we may include the events in our summer calendar listings. Thank you!
by Stanley Heller, Middle East Crisis Committee
On Sunday, March 1, groups will honor Gaza doctor Hussam Abu Safiya, who has been in Israeli custody since Dec. 2024, and who has been nominated for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize. The event will take place at the Palestine Museum US, 1764 Litchfield Turnpike in Woodbridge, starting at 3 p.m.
The main speaker at the event will be Dr. Karameh Kuemmerle, one of the co-founders of Doctors Against Genocide. Also speaking will be Rabbi Abby Chava Stein. Stein is an active member of the rabbinical group T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights
Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, the abducted director of the now forcibly-closed Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, has been imprisoned by Israel for near 14 months. He has not been formally charged with anything, no evidence of wrongdoing has been advanced, but it is claimed he is an “unlawful combatant.”
Dr. Abu Safiya was nominated by Dr. Carol Gray, Assistant Professor of Public Law, Department of Political Science at the University of Fairbanks in Alaska. Dr. Gray noted that “Choosing Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya would spotlight the horrific genocide in Gaza as well as the incredible courage of the Palestinian people who have endured so much. It might also save his life.”
For more information and for tickets: https://pmu.betterworld.org/events/abu-safiya. Other contact info: see FreeDrAbuSafiya.org, phone 203-444-3578, or email mail@thestruggle.org.
Get your taxes done for free at the New Haven Free Public Library. Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) volunteers are available at all five library locations this year. Make an appointment for help at one of our four neighborhood branches or drop in for help at Ives Library, 133 Elm Street, during their walk-in hours. For more information, visit https://nhfpl.org/vita-2026.
Please submit copy to PAR at parnewhaven@hotmail.com. 350 word limit. Questions? Call Paula at 203-562-2798.
The next issue is our March issue.
Let us know what your group has planned!
Subscription: $13 for 10 issues, check payable to PAR, 608 Whitney Avenue, New Haven, CT 06511
Get your taxes done for free at the New Haven Free Public Library! Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) volunteers are available at all five library locations this year. Make an appointment for help at one of our four neighborhood branches or drop in for help at Ives Library, 133 Elm St., during their walk-in hours. For more information, visit https://nhfpl.org/taxhelp2026.
The City has now secured additional funding from the state to create a new warming center space at the existing 645 Grand Ave. shelter.
To find shelters and warming centers in Connecticut, call 211. In New Haven, there is also a list at bit.ly/4pcAbLV. More information is at newhavenct.gov/homeless.
We ask our readers to print out the list and have copies on hand to give to people in need of a warm, safe place.
Please submit copy to PAR at parnewhaven@hotmail.com. 350 word limit. Questions? Call Paula at 203-562-2798. The next issue is our February issue. Let us know what your group has planned!
Subscription: $13 for 10 issues, check payable to
PAR
608 Whitney Ave.
New Haven, CT 06511
