Most people think sending money to a friend or family member in need is a personal matter, but ICE disagrees. We just found out that ICE has been collecting personal financial data on millions of people who use money transfer services like Western Union.1 ICE can use this data to try to target immigrants who send money back to their families, and potentially deport them. The federal government should never be in the business of spying on people who are just trying to financially help their friends and family. Sign the petition: Tell Congress and President Biden to ban ICE surveillance of money orders and cash transfers! For millions of people in California, Arizona, New Mexico, or Texas, who recently used a money order service, like Western Union, their personal information and the personal information of the person they sent money to likely ended up in a database without them even knowing – a database that is shared with ICE and other law enforcement agencies. Since 2019, ICE used administrative subpoenas to money order and cash transfer companies like Western Union to collect sender and recipient names and addresses. This essentially criminalizes people for not having bank accounts, and specifically targets immigrant communities of all kinds for the commonplace practice of sending remittances back to family members. Once Senator Wyden started asking questions about the program, ICE shut it down.2 That’s because ICE has gotten so out of control that they don’t stop to question whether their actions are legal or not – they’re just out to hunt down, detain, and deport as many immigrants as they can. This has to stop. ICE has consistently proved that they will abuse any amount of power given to them. That’s why Congress and President Biden need to act now to specifically and permanently ban ICE from spying on people’s private financial data. Sign the petition: Tell Congress and President Biden to ban ICE surveillance of money orders and cash transfers! Sources: 1. Buzzfeed, “ICE Conducted Sweeping Surveillance Of Money Transfers Sent To And From The US, A Senator Says,” March 8, 2022. 2. Ibid.

The CannaJustice Coalition leading this work in VA is proudly partnering with Minorities for Medical Marijuana and Morring Law firm here in the Commonwealth to push this message forward. Legalization can be a way to dismantle the War on Drugs or re-activate it. As the number four reason for deportation and the reason why many are barred from housing, education and employment, we must legislate legalization that makes the public feel safe, and ensure police are not targeting them for a legal substance. As of August 31, 2021, the state is responsible for incarcerating 570 people for 599 marijuana-related offenses. There are 229 people incarcerated with a non-drug related Most Serious Offense (MSO), 331 people incarcerated with Drug Sales MSO and 10 people incarcerated with Drug Possession MSO with their families sooner. There are even more of our loved ones on community supervision due to marijuana that need to be set free from surveillance. Cannabis expert, Shaleen Title, explains that this a crucial and vulnerable moment for the future of the cannabis market. While states are making historic progress creating paths for small businesses and disenfranchised groups, larger companies are expanding, consolidating, and lobbying for licensing rules to create or maintain oligopolies. Federal legalization will only accelerate the power grab already happening with new, larger conglomerates openly expressing interest. Left unchecked, this scramble for market share threatens to undermine public health and safety and undo bold state-level efforts to build an equitable cannabis marketplace and reduce the impact of disproportionate policing. Virginia must recognize our role in protecting our people but also our place in the federal legalization conversation that stands up to exploitative businesses and demands an equitable return for those impacted by the racist War on Drugs.

The UN estimates as many as 5 million are ultimately at risk of being displaced by Russia’s invasion. Countries across the globe are already opening their doors to Ukrainian refugees — but in the United States an arbitrary refugee “cap” will shut the door in the face of too many. But there’s a simple solution: President Biden can increase the cap. He has the power to do it — in fact just last year we saw him raise the limit he set for FY2022 from 62,500 to 125,000. Why? Because people like us pushed him to. We have an opportunity to push the Biden administration to realign our broken immigration system with our professed values. Will you help? Add your name to tell President Biden: Raise the FY2023 refugee admissions cap to no less than 200,000!

For the people who are fortunate to have families, they find real happiness within that family unit. They find friendship, love, compassion, appreciation, irreplaceable bonds, comfort, joy, acceptance, mentorship among other things in their families. Also, they find a home where you belong, can find contentment and peace around people you love. They find someone they can grow old with, someone they can mentor, someone they can laugh with, someone who will listen and understand them. However, a family is incomplete without its members, especially when they are not physically around each other to fully experience and grow as a family unit. It takes time and effort (lots of both) to grow a family. This cannot happen when the family is separated by distance. Without COVID-19 the process to immigrate to the United States is a lengthy one to begin with – taking a minimum of one year in most cases. However, since the arrival of COVID-19 the immigration process has been marred with huge delays. Immediate family members such as spouses and children are separated far longer from their other spouse or parent than prior to the pandemic. You must have heard the phrase “Kids grow too fast” from parents. Imagine the negative impact of limited involvement with your growing child because she cannot be here due to visa process delays. Imagine the lost years, unable to build a stronger relationship with your spouse, because you are waiting for a visa process which has slowed to a crawl. COVID cases are a serious concern, and unfortunately COVID is here to stay. So, what is next? Can something be done to expedite the immigrant visa process to unite these family members? Since the onset of COVID-19, significant disruptions have occurred in the day to day operations of businesses and government. Still, our relationships and families have to be developed and parenting responsibilities have to be carried out. These must not be ignored for an extended period. Please support this petition and make a difference in the lives of people who just want to be around and grow with their families, as families should. Thank you.

Please join my campaign as I work with close to 1000 immigrants who struggle and are suffering at a time when they could be contributing adding to the economy. With a federal ID they can access classes and computers at the libraries. They can feel safe on the streets. Please understand that this would radically change lives.

Afghanistan is facing an existential economic crisis that’s shuttering banks, leaving civil servants without pay and increasing prices of basic food items like cooking oil and flour for Afghan families. UN officials are warning that food in the country could run out this month and millions could starve this winter. One million Afghan children could die of malnutrition in this man-made disaster. Doctors have not been paid for months and hospitals across the country are on the verge of total collapse. With no access to the Afghan people’s own money or financial capital, more Afghans are on the brink of a devastating economic crisis that will only further increase an already deepening humanitarian crisis.

This country cannot move forward while Blue and Red continue infighting. Something must be done. Republican Senate leaders have been known to say they will not vote for anything just because the Democrats put it forth. This, coming from a man as old as Mitch McConnell, and being agreed to by the others in the same party, is ludicrous. We did not elect them to play games. The censuring of senators for not voting the way they want them to (for having minds of their own) is also a very telling indicator that the Republican party is more concerned that their members play "follow the leader" than think for themselves. The people who voted for each senator did so for the purpose of looking out for their interest... Not so they can sit around, smoking cigars, drinking whiskey, and thinking about how they can get back at the unpopular members of their group, or play tit-for-tat with the Dems. Pointing fingers, blaming each other, and threatening "if you do that, we'll do this" makes every single one of you look like a playground bully!

The reality is that the days after 9/11 were fraught and emotional — some communities came together and others were viciously scapegoated, even though they were hurting too. There was a spike in hate crimes against Arab, Muslim, Middle Eastern, South Asian and Sikh people, and too much of that unchecked racist rhetoric ultimately helped launch endless wars and lay the foundation for the Muslim ban. Twenty years later, it’s time that we address that truth. Reps. Jayapal, Omar, Tlaib, and Chu just introduced a new bill to recognize the harm that these communities have suffered since 9/11. With your help we can get it the support it needs. As activists who oppose war and seek to build a better future, it’s our responsibility to push those in power to understand the lessons of the past so that we can redefine what security looks like in the future — for all of us.

Today you can advocate for them by signing this petition stating you support project 1/5 in getting our interpreters and their families out of Afghanistan safely. Signing this petition shows the support we the American people have for our interpreters who served with our USMC. This petition acts as a measure to show we will support them in their process for safe exit and leagal exit through humanitarian parole or SIV recommendation, sharing with your friends and working with groups like AlliedExtract.org to help offset the cost of these this astronomical fee. Being free from the Taliban should be equitable. Help us get our people back with to us safely. These people are our people. They were left there to be slaughtered despite their best efforts to leave on the US GOVT. processing terms. This is unacceptable. This is not only about doing what is right but it is fighting for human rights, woman's rights and supporting our veterans and their families that stood beside them. Tell your local congressmen to support the quick processing of those who qualify for entry into the United States and to allow private entities who are helping keep them safe to be allowed to bring them back to us. Our interviews and stories are posted on the website for more information. The costs are rising as the situation in Afghanistan continues to escalate.

Every year there is a ‘cap’ on the number of refugees the United States will resettle, and that means accepting more refugees from Afghanistan could bar others seeking safety and refuge from other global crises. There’s a simple solution: instead of squeezing people fleeing unprecedented catastrophes — many we helped create — through a defective and insufficient process, the United States could simply increase the number of refugees we welcome. In fact, the United States has a history of opening its doors to people fleeing crisis: the 1980 refugee cap was set at *231,700*. Representatives Barbara Lee and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez organized 66 of their colleagues to pressure the Biden administration to meet this urgent moment by increasing next year’s refugee cap to no less than 200,000. We have just a few weeks to influence the president’s decision, and that means now is the time for us to do everything we can to amplify these champions’ call. President Biden: Raise the refugee cap!

As the humanitarian crisis grows and the U.S. military prepares to leave on August 31 saving as many Afghan lives as possible must be the U.S. government’s top priority. But here’s something you may not know: there are ample funds available to ease suffering on the ground and support Afghans to rebuild their lives — like inside next year’s astronomical Pentagon budget, where more than $3 BILLION is currently earmarked for the now-collapsed Afghan National Security Forces. Congress is deciding where those funds will go as we speak. And the possibility that this money could instead be spent on a few more F-35s or bombs is all too real — and should be immediately, completely rejected. That’s why we need to get loud NOW Add your name to call on Congress to immediately use any money that was previously going to be spent supporting Afghan security forces to help save Afghan lives.

The lives of Arkansas children and families are in jeopardy. We can not afford to not delay the start of our schools until these measures are in place.