According to an official press release by the office of U.S Department of Homeland Security, starting in 2016, a new set of priorities will cause the pursuit of a group of immigrants seeking refuge from Central America. According to the statement, “these new enforcement priorities also focus on border security, namely the removal of those apprehended at the border or who came here illegally after January 1, 2014.” Allegedly, the department “must enforce the law in accordance with these priorities.” However, circulating fears over at-large raids to identity and remove immigrants without proper documentation create an unsafe and hostile environment for many immigrant families, regardless of their status. The understanding of persecution has lasting effects on the social and psychological well-being of many groups of people within our immigrant communities. I stand against the raids announced by ICE on Christmas Eve because in the state of Arkansas, nine mayors have signed Welcoming Proclamations in September declaring Arkansas communities as welcoming for immigrants. I agree with their decision to take this stand, and take pride in Arkansas' history of being a welcoming state to all newcomers. The raids counter our aspirations for Arkansas and are creating mass fear among our employees, colleagues, neighbors and friends. We, as an Arkansas community, urge the directors of ICE in the state of Arkansas and all authorities under their jurisdiction to exercise their commitment to priorities previously stated. There are no compelling reasons to target any valuable members of the immigrant community. We urge officers to address business managers before creating a hostile environment for any immigrant in our community at their place of work or residence, and avoid broad actions that could entrap other members of the immigrant community, both intentionally and unintentionally. Also as part of our recommendations, we urge ICE officers to exercise respect for the rights to privacy for individuals in their residences and for not conducting searches without a warrant, also in agreeance with the recent announcements to enforce existing laws with respect to priorities and rights. As a community, we are saddened to see these events unfold, and the mass fears generated in the Arkansas community today as a result of ICE raid rumors, and are working towards restoring a sense of safety for our immigrant communities. We do not accept an environment of fear and persecution, especially for a group of people who are fleeing terrible conditions and a real humanitarian crisis. We implore you, President Obama, DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson and ICE Director Sarah Saldana to immediately put an end to their plan to continue to raids on Central Americans, including in our great state of Arkansas.

Federal land belongs to all of us. Just because ranchers can't capitalize on public property doesn't mean it's "privatized."

Extreme, armed right-wing individuals and groups increasingly threaten the security of American citizens; they have occupied federal land, attacked Planned Parenthood, and killed worshipers in a church in South Carolina. These groups will continue to threaten our security until they are appropriately prosecuted for their seditious activities before they commit more acts of violence against American citizens. Demand that the Justice Department investigate and prosecute these groups and individuals to the fullest extent of the law.

As an individual, and an American citizen, it's quite scary when you come to the realization that the very nation you were born and raised in has such a greatly flawed judicial system. In these two particular cases (against Steven Avery and Brendan Dassey,) improper methods were used by the Manitowoc County sheriff's department to convict them of crimes that they were never proved to have committed beyond a reasonable doubt. If the American Judicial System expects to be respected by the citizens of this nation in any way, shape or form, then these two men will need to be completely exonerated. For more information on their cases, and to make an informed decision of your own, please watch the Netflix documentary "Making a Murderer" and visit http://stevenavery.org/

The government of Saudi Arabia, purportedly a close U.S. ally, has dramatically escalated tensions in the Middle East by executing a prominent Shia cleric who had criticized the Saudi government [1] and by ending the ceasefire in Yemen [2]. This escalation threatens international efforts to end the Syrian civil war and reduce the threat to the West of terrorism from the region. Saudi Arabia's vast oil wealth means that it doesn't necessarily have to listen to unilateral U.S. requests to moderate its actions. But by acting in concert with Europe and other U.S. allies, the U.S. can pressure Saudi Arabia to reduce its use of and support of sectarian violence that is destabilizing the region and fueling terrorism - as the U.S. successfully cooperated with Europe and other allies to pressure Iran to curtail its nuclear program. The Saudi government isn't the only party that needs to cooperate to de-escalate tensions, but greater international constraints on the Saudi government are a necessary condition for international efforts at de-escalation to succeed. Urge President Obama and Congress to cooperate with Europe to impose greater pressure on Saudi Arabia on peace and human rights by signing our petition. References: 1. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/02/saudi-execution-of-shia-cleric-sparks-outrage-in-middle-east 2. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/02/saudi-led-coalition-ends-truce-houthi-rebels-yemen

Many of the residents of Montclair purchased property off of Bradford Avenue due to the natural surroundings and low building profiles. If approved, this development will significantly change the characteristics of the neighborhood and would pose traffic, safety, and environmental issues.

11 million Haitians have a per capita income of $850 while billions of taxpayer dollars are being siphoned off.

The Department of Justice has said they plan to ignore the take over of a Federal Building in Oregon. This will allow it to grow and fester to a point where action will be needed.

NOTE!!! YOU MUST SIGN WITH YOUR FIRST AND LAST NAMES!!! The people of Eastern Oklahoma County, in order to protect our hard earned property, have determined to stand for our property rights in opposition to a proposed turnpike, the necessity of which has yet to be proven to the satisfaction of the residents of Eastern Oklahoma County. We are not willing to stand idly by and have our homes, farms, businesses, the very things we have spent our lives building, be replaced by an unnecessary turnpike.

At the end of December, immigration authorities confirmed they would be expanding their home raids to include mothers and children who recently escaped violence in their home countries. On January 2nd, agents barged into homes across the Atlanta area, at times pretending to be local police in search of a non-existent suspect, pulling people from their beds, demanding identification, and taking away whomever they chose. At least 47 people have been flown from Georgia to a processing center in Texas where the agency may rush to deport them before pending cases can be heard or appeals can be filed. These raids are not the first and unlikely to be the last. Sign the petition asking the Obama administration and DHS to put a halt to immigration agents' violation of civil rights and stop the raids.

My grandparents live at 8340 Central and they have since 1965. Their neighborhood looks like a war zone. When I was a kid, that community was thriving with big brick colonial houses. Now my grandmother is embarrassed by what has happened to her community over the years. No one should be a prisoner in her own home. Duggan said Detroit wasn't in the "demolition business." Why not?

Dear Mr. Zuckerberg and Ms. Bickert, I was very disturbed by the front page story in my local newspaper, The Santa Fe New Mexican, today. An intrepid reporter took a close look at a local Facebook group with over 14,000 members. The group is an online swap service where members can trade and sell furniture, clothes, baby gear...and guns. These gun sales are conducted without background checks. Anyone, ANYONE, including convicted felons can buy a gun via Facebook, no questions asked. Here is a link to the story if you'd like more detail: http://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/on-facebook-gun-sales-go-unregulated/article_2795536a-8c61-5ba5-aba5-3f88d3546ae3.html An online petition in 2014 forced Facebook to adopt new policies regarding gun sales. As part of that policy change posters are required to include a reminder that buyers of guns must comply with all gun laws. This is a weak attempt at best, even when it is followed, but the review of posts by The New Mexican shows that many posts do not include any such language. If Facebook cannot enforce its already lenient policies in regards to gun sales then it is time for them to prohibit the practice entirely. Craigslist has done so as have many newspaper classified sections. We love social media as a way of connecting family, friends, and like-minded people. We do not support its use as a way to avoid complying with federal gun laws and background checks. Please prohibit the sales of guns on your site. Thank you.