Weekly Member Update - January 19, 2026

Federal agents carry away an American citizen after removing her from her car, in Minneapolis, January 13. Reuters/Tim Evans

More reporting on this particular illegal detention is available here.

Today we honor the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. amid the ongoing invasion of the sovereign State of Minnesota by armed federal agents. As the writer and journalist Steven Beschloss recently reminded us, we know full well how Dr. King would feel about the siege of Minneapolis and beyond, for it was MLK that famously wrote, from a Birmingham, Alabama jail cell, that “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” We encourage everyone to re-read Letter from a Birmingham Jail today. While they were written more than a half century ago, King’s words continue to resonate in the perilous time we now find ourselves in. Whether it was King’s recognition of the “interrelatedness of all communities and states,” his robust and passionate defense of nonviolent direct action and civil disobedience, or his profound disappointment in paternalistic white moderates — the “great stumbling block in [the] stride toward freedom… who [are] more devoted to ‘order’ than to justice” — King’s writing reads as if it was intended for this moment. As we struggle against the rise of authoritarianism in America, complete with anonymous secret police rampaging through American streets, it is important to remember King’s admonition that “freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.” King’s words remind us of our obligation and duty to stand together in resistance to MAGA totalitarianism, to oppose them everywhere, all the time, with every tool at our disposal.

King, of course, understood that one tool at the oppressed’s disposal is the general strike, and we are therefore watching with interest as labor organizations throughout Minnesota have called for a No Work, No School, No Shopping statewide Day of Truth and Freedom this coming Friday, January 23. It is difficult to overstate just how terrifyingly awful things are right now in Minneapolis/St. Paul, and throughout Minnesota. We know it can be triggering to watch videos depicting indiscriminate and lawless state violence against peaceful Americans, but we must all bear witness to the terror and intimidation campaign being done in our government’s name. So we encourage everyone to follow independent journalists like Amanda Moore (@noturtlesoup17) or independent media organizations with reporters on the ground like Zeteo or The Handbasket, or local Minnesota sources like the Minnesota Star Tribune, Minnesota Reformer or MPR News. And don’t just follow those sources, but share what you see with your friends, coworkers and acquaintances. When the American people see the brutality of ICE with their own eyes, they hate it. Eight in 10 Americans have seen video of the murder of Renee Nicole Good and, not surprisingly, a clear majority of Americans believe that her killing was unjustified. On the question of ICE and Border Patrol generally, more than 60% of Americans — including a rising share of Republicans — believe that the actions of federal agents have gone too far, and a clear majority of Americans disbelieve the Trump Regime’s claim that it is targeting dangerous criminals. Clearly, when the American people see with their own eyes what is occurring on the streets of Minnesota, they recoil at the violence and reject the gaslighting propaganda being fed to them by government sources and MAGA influencers. So keep using the truth to change hearts and minds.

One would think that Democrats would want to capitalize on the broad swath of public opinion against Trump’s use of militarized goons in American cities but, once again, the inertia of the moderates is standing in the way. While stalwarts like Senator Chris Murphy continue to sound the alarm, and even swing-state Democrats from border states like Sen. Ruben Gallego are calling for ICE to be “totally torn down,” Democratic leaders like Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries remain recalcitrant, calling for ICE to merely be “reformed.” To be clear, ICE and Border Patrol have been broken for years and, under Trump, the agencies have embraced the language and culture of white nationalism and likely infused their ranks with January 6 insurrectionists. Mere reform under these circumstances is a preposterous position and anything short of a complete abolition of ICE — and the dismantling of DHS as well — will be an absolute necessity once Trump and his lackeys are gone. But what is necessary now is that ICE be reigned in by any means necessary. To that end, DHS funding expires on January 30 and putting restrictions on ICE and cutting off its slush funds in the DHS funding bill is the bare minimum every Member of Congress should support. But again, Schumer and Jeffries remain hesitant to use what little leverage that Democrats do have, so we encourage all of you to continue to pressure our elected federal representatives to withhold funding for ICE and Border Patrol.

And, be sure that our own Congressman Paul Tonko feels the pressure too. Just this past week, Representative Tonko broke with progressives and voted in favor of H.R. 7006, a funding bill for the Departments of State and Treasury, among other entities. Tonko has not explained his vote, as far as we know, but what we do know is that H.R. 7006 imposes sweeping abortion funding bans across federal programs and the District of Columbia, provides more than $3 billion to Israel and concurrently erects financial barriers to Palestinian self-determination. In our view, Democrats should not be voting in favor of anything advanced by the Trump Regime and its allies in Congress, but H.R. 7006 is a particularly heinous piece of legislation which is undeserving of any Democratic support. Morever, what Representative Tonko’s vote truly suggests to us is that he is an unreliable ally that has been conditioned by his 18 years in Congress to reflexively vote in favor of “bipartisan” appropriation bills. This is not understanding the gravity of the moment, and we will be watching Congressman Tonko very closely as the vote over DHS funding approaches. Simply put, a vote in favor of DHS funding would be a vote in support of ICE terrorizing and brutalizing American communities; it would be an unforgivable betrayal.

While we pressure our elected representatives to fight, we also need to continue to prepare for when ICE ramps up operations in our own communities. News came this week that ICE is set to ramp up operations in Portland and Lewiston, Maine, of all places, and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has begun taking steps in anticipation of an ICE invasion there. There is already reporting that the Regime is planning to use the Minnesota playbook in California and New York; to that end, we’ve made the case for months that the Capital District is a logical target for a widespread ICE enforcement action and, given ICE’s expanded budget, our turn as a focus of ICE and Border Patrol attention is surely coming sooner rather than later. It is time for our local leaders to prepare to defend our communities, and it is time for all of us to get ready. We encourage you all to read up on the rapid response guidebook born of the occupation of Minnesota, and the Accountability Initiative's ICE List Wiki is another important resource. Chicago organizers have also prepared a guidebook from their own experience with ICE and Border Patrol earlier this year, and the Immigrant Defense Network and Communities Organizing Latine Power and Action (COPAL) have partnered to produce The Handbook for Constitutional Observers. Finally, in collaboration with the New York Immigration Coalition, WITNESS Library offers a slide deck on Practical Tips on Filming Immigration and Law Enforcement.

As we prepare for a potential invasion of the 518 by federal forces, be reminded that our next Monthly Member Meeting will be held on Monday, February 9 at the Love Albany Center in the City’s Delaware neighborhood. Come help us break in our new space within the Albany City limits, and learn about the widespread proliferation of Flock camera systems and the threat these systems pose to all of our civil liberties. We saw this week that the City of Santa Cruz, California terminated its contract with Flock Safety upon the revelation that Flock was sharing data collected with out-of-state entities. The communities of the 518 would do well to follow Santa Cruz’s lead. There has already been widespread reporting that Palantir is building a digital infrastructure to help ICE find its next abductees, and reporting from Minnesota has revealed that ICE is using ostensibly private data — including data lifted from Flock camera systems — to intimidate observers and activists on the ground. We therefore believe that Flock camera systems have no place within our communities and ridding our neighborhoods of these tools of police-state surveillance will be one of our main priorities for the coming year.

Finally, a reminder about our local Events calendar, where you can always find an assortment of local events to engage in, including Troy Indivisible’s Freedom Not Fascism rally today at noon outside of Troy City Hall. Hope to see you there you there!