Donald Trump just announced executive action that threatens any city that seeks to protect immigrant residents from his deportation machine. What he’s trying to do is roll back the leaps forward we’ve made in recent years but we won’t let him. In 2017, it’s the efforts to defend Black lives and protect migrant rights that make our cities safer, not Trump’s extra enforcement promises. To keep us safe, we need to evolve our local policies to make our cities real sanctuaries for all residents, not cancel them because of the illegitimate President's latest actions. That means a commitment to separating police from federal immigration enforcement AND addressing the policing that funnels Black and other residents to jail and places criminal charges on immigrant residents, making them a target for ICE agents. Tell our mayor and city council to stand up to Trump and take action that doesn't just symbolically defend immigrants, but transforms our city's policies to stop targeting us for imprisonment, risk of removal, and state violence at the hands of police and aggressive immigration agents. The illegitimate President's threats should be cause to embolden our city leaders, not an excuse to abandon our potential progress.

Donald Trump just announced executive action that threatens any city that seeks to protect immigrant residents from his deportation machine. What he’s trying to do is roll back the leaps forward we’ve made in recent years but we won’t let him. In 2017, it’s the efforts to defend Black lives and protect migrant rights that make our cities safer, not Trump’s extra enforcement promises. To keep us safe, we need to evolve our local policies to make our cities real sanctuaries for all residents, not cancel them because of the illegitimate President's latest actions. That means a commitment to separating police from federal immigration enforcement AND addressing the policing that funnels Black and other residents to jail and places criminal charges on immigrant residents, making them a target for ICE agents. Tell our mayor and city council to stand up to Trump and take action that doesn't just symbolically defend immigrants, but transforms our city's policies to stop targeting us for imprisonment, risk of removal, and state violence at the hands of police and aggressive immigration agents. The illegitimate President's threats should be cause to embolden our city leaders, not an excuse to abandon our potential progress.

Donald Trump just announced executive action that threatens any city that seeks to protect immigrant residents from his deportation machine. What he’s trying to do is roll back the leaps forward we’ve made in recent years but we won’t let him. In 2017, it’s the efforts to defend Black lives and protect migrant rights that make our cities safer, not Trump’s extra enforcement promises. To keep us safe, we need to evolve our local policies to make our cities real sanctuaries for all residents, not cancel them because of the illegitimate President's latest actions. That means a commitment to separating police from federal immigration enforcement AND addressing the policing that funnels Black and other residents to jail and places criminal charges on immigrant residents, making them a target for ICE agents. Tell our mayor and city council to stand up to Trump and take action that doesn't just symbolically defend immigrants, but transforms our city's policies to stop targeting us for imprisonment, risk of removal, and state violence at the hands of police and aggressive immigration agents. The illegitimate President's threats should be cause to embolden our city leaders, not an excuse to abandon our potential progress.

Donald Trump just announced executive action that threatens any city that seeks to protect immigrant residents from his deportation machine. What he’s trying to do is roll back the leaps forward we’ve made in recent years but we won’t let him. In 2017, it’s the efforts to defend Black lives and protect migrant rights that make our cities safer, not Trump’s extra enforcement promises. To keep us safe, we need to evolve our local policies to make our cities real sanctuaries for all residents, not cancel them because of the illegitimate President's latest actions. That means a commitment to separating police from federal immigration enforcement AND addressing the policing that funnels Black and other residents to jail and places criminal charges on immigrant residents, making them a target for ICE agents. Tell our mayor and city council to stand up to Trump and take action that doesn't just symbolically defend immigrants, but transforms our city's policies to stop targeting us for imprisonment, risk of removal, and state violence at the hands of police and aggressive immigration agents. The illegitimate President's threats should be cause to embolden our city leaders, not an excuse to abandon our potential progress.

Donald Trump just announced executive action that threatens any city that seeks to protect immigrant residents from his deportation machine. What he’s trying to do is roll back the leaps forward we’ve made in recent years but we won’t let him. In 2017, it’s the efforts to defend Black lives and protect migrant rights that make our cities safer, not Trump’s extra enforcement promises. To keep us safe, we need to evolve our local policies to make our cities real sanctuaries for all residents, not cancel them because of the illegitimate President's latest actions. That means a commitment to separating police from federal immigration enforcement AND addressing the policing that funnels Black and other residents to jail and places criminal charges on immigrant residents, making them a target for ICE agents. Tell our mayor and city council to stand up to Trump and take action that doesn't just symbolically defend immigrants, but transforms our city's policies to stop targeting us for imprisonment, risk of removal, and state violence at the hands of police and aggressive immigration agents. The illegitimate President's threats should be cause to embolden our city leaders, not an excuse to abandon our potential progress.

In a statement regarding his boycotting of Trump's Inauguration, Congressman Grijalva said that his "absence is not motivated by disrespect for the office or motivated by disrespect for the government that we have in this great democracy. But as an individual act, yes, of defiance, at the disrespect shown to millions and millions of Americans by this incoming administration and by the actions we are taking in this Congress." And Congressman Grijalva is right- we must not legitimize or normalize Donald Trump and his hate filled agenda. Not only his Trump proven himself to be unfit for us, a cloud of illegitimacy hangs over this year's presidential election that makes us question the legitimacy of a Trump presidency. Civil Rights Icon Representative John Lewis will also be skipping the inauguration stating that "you cannot be at home with something that you feel that is wrong, is not right.” Democratic Reps. Jared Huffman (Calif.), Katherine Clark (Mass.), Barbara Lee (Calif.) Mark DeSaulnier (Calif.), Lacy Clay (Mo.), Kurt Schrader (Ore.) and Earl Blumenauer (Ore.) also announced boycotts. Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.), who will also be boycotting the inauguration will instead attend the anti-Trump Women's March taking place the following day. We must urge the rest of our elected officials to stand with them.

The Army Corps of Engineers recently denied a permit for the construction of a key section of the Pipeline, a major victory for those like Brennon who have been demonstrating for months. There is no reason for him to be charged with those. HELP BRENNON MAKE A CALL: North Dakota State Attorney Allen Koppy @ 701-667-3350 Sample Call: "Hi, I am calling to ask that charges against Brennon Nastacio be removed immediately. He did not commit any crime . Please drop all charges against Brennon!” SEND AN E-MAIL: Allen Koppy: [email protected] To North Dakota State Attorney, Allen Koppy: I am writing to call on you to drop all charges against Brennon Nastacio, a Native American who has not committed any crime, but has charges of “terrorizing.” At the time of the incident, Brennon was openly carrying a knife, which is legal in North Dakota. Not only did he not commit a crime, but he was in complete fulfillment of the law. In spite of facing an armed gunman, he did not charge toward him or threaten him in any way. He has now turned himself in and is now going to follow due process and plead his case in court. There are no grounds for the charges, all charges should be dropped . Please drop charges against Brennon immediately! DONATE http://bit.ly/standingrockfriends

This past November, Maricopa County voted Sheriff Penzone into office but we still need to remove Arpaio's impact. Since 1994, Arpaio punished people in the outdoor jail where inmates said that dogs were treated better. In the summer, Arpaio told reporters that it reached 145 °F inside the tents. Some inmates complained that fans near their beds were not working, and that their shoes were melting from the heat. In the winter, it's the opposite. Sign to ensure Tent City is closed forever and urge Penzone to set an example to do what is right for the people in Maricopa County. Arpaio will not be completely gone until his policies of dehumanization and abuse are gone with him. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fj3mRGQ0ow

All students have a right to safety at their university. A campus where students fear for their safety is a campus which promotes divisiveness rather than the collaboration and integrity which Belmont holds as core values. We will stand together with our Muslim, Black, Latinx, LGBTQ, undocumented, women, Jewish, and immigrant family, friends, classmates, and coworkers.

On Thursday, November 10th, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in San Antonio notified the Karnes Pro Bono Project that crayons for children were no longer allowed in the visitation area of the Karnes Family Detention Center. ICE claims that this rule is a response to children “defacing” interview rooms with coloring which has “caused property damage to the contractor.” That contractor, of course, is the GEO Group, a private prison company that has earned over $57 million in profits from the Karnes Family Detention Center. Treating a child’s color markings as “destruction of property” is altogether inappropriate. And such markings are a cost that comes with the detention of children. It is extremely disturbing that ICE’s concern for GEO’s property takes precedence over the well being of the children and their mothers’ rights to legal advice. If ICE is detaining children, at the very least, they should allow those children to act like children. "I really like to draw flowers and then I give them to my Mom to make her happy. Shes very sad and I know the flowers help her not be so sad." - 5 year old girl detained in Karnes "The kids need to develop their imaginations. Sometimes what they can’t express in words they can begin to confront through drawings." - Mom detained in Karnes "They are too young to read and if they just play can get too rowdy. We don't always want them with us [when we speak to the attorneys] because some of the things we share we don't want them to hear." - Mom detained in Karnes

We support our friends, co-workers, and neighbors who have been attacked and scapegoated by Trump. We will defend the Muslim, Black, Latinx, LGBTQ, undocumented, women, Jewish, and immigrant members of our community, and we will not let Trump or his white Supremacist appointees separate us.

In Maricopa County, the Sheriff is in charge of guarding the ballots. The DOJ shouldn't let him do it unwatched. Historic voter registration deserves historic protection of democracy. More than 150,000 people registered to be new voters and will seek to cast their ballot against Arpaio for the first time. Groups across the area are doing their part for a successful election and the Department of Justice needs to do the same. For the first time in years, the Department of Justice announced that it won't send federal monitors to the County where Trump ally and criminally-charged Sheriff Arpaio is running for re-election. The Department's decision to be absent is a dangerous one given that the Sheriff is the one in charge of guarding the ballots cast on election day. The County recorder has already gotten caught sending out wrong polling information in one instance. And local polling became a national embarrassment during the primaries when fewer locations led to hours-long lines.