The mass detention, deportation, and surveillance of immigrant communities are a stain on our country's history. The GEO Group, CoreCivic, and the banks that finance them are all complicit. *Photo by Molly Adams.

As Trump formally accepts a $400 million 747 jumbo jet from the Qatari government, elected officials across party lines are sounding the alarm over its ethical, legal, and security risks.  Republican Senator Shelley Moore Capito said the White House would “need to look at the constitutionality" of the “gift.” Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth raised questions about the plane’s ability to be operationally secure. And Representatives and Senators have urged the Department of Justice and other government watchdogs to launch investigations into this deal.  The timing is convenient — and reeks of corruption. This “gift” comes amidst the Trump company’s first foreign deal since Trump returned to office — building a luxury golf resort in Qatar — as well as the announcement of a $2 BILLION weapons sale to the Qatari government. So far, the White House has evaded questions. But with bipartisan dissent, pressure is mounting. One thing that can help tip the balance toward justice and accountability? A message to lawmakers that’s tens of thousands of people strong.

Tanks rolling down Pennsylvania Avenue. Soldiers marching in lockstep. Lines of apocalyptic missiles on display. A hyper-nationalist spectacle fit for a dictatorship. This is Trump’s vision for a war parade that he’s trying to stage on June 14, the Army’s anniversary, which conveniently falls on the same day as his 79th birthday. This isn’t about honoring service. It’s about idolizing power. And like everything Trump touches, he expects someone else to foot the bill. Thankfully, Rep. Steve Cohen introduced H.R. 2761, the Halting All Parades for Presidents’ Yearly Birthdays; It Risks Taxpayer Harm, Damages, And Your (HAPPY BIRTHDAY) Budget Act, to block this absurd spectacle and protect your tax dollars from being squandered on personal glorification. Congress holds the keys to the purse and can prevent even a single taxpayer dollar from being used to fund Trump’s vanity stunt. We need to flood Congress with messages from activists like you demanding they pass the HAPPY BIRTHDAY Budget Act and refuse to authorize so much as one penny toward a tank parade.

The U.S. Post Office and postal workers have faced years of cuts, poor conditions, and threats of privatization. The newest selection to lead the USPS, David Steiner, is a FedEx Board Member, even though FedEx is a direct competitor to the Post Office. Postal workers are already facing a round of 10,000 job cuts. Many USPS workers are forced to deal with what has been described as a “toxic workplace” due to hostile work environments, understaffing, poor treatment of workers, fatigue, and unforgiving schedules. In 2023, reports showed that 59% of early career USPS workers were leaving this toxic environment.  Now, competing companies and banks like Wells Fargo want to privatize the Post Office. Privatizing the USPS won’t fix any of the problems at the postal service — it’ll only make things worse for workers.  Postal workers have gathered across the country to protest layoffs, hour cuts, workplace conditions, and attempts to make the Post Office a private company.  One of the cornerstones of the USPS is its universal service mandate — no matter where you live in the country, the postal service will deliver to you. Postal workers will get people their prescription medications, mail from loved ones, and everything in between. The same is not true of private companies like FedEx.  If the new Postmaster General pushes to privatize the Post Office, routes for mail carriers could be cut, local post offices shut down, and people in rural areas may not receive essential mail and packages. The ultra-rich and corporations stand to gain the most from a Post Office that becomes privatized. Executives will come in to make massive profits, while workers suffer layoffs and worse workplace conditions, and consumers face higher prices and worse service. And companies like FedEx and UPS can grow their market share and corporate profits. It would be a clear win for billionaires, and a loss for workers and consumers. Sign the petition to stand with USPS workers and reject the privatization of the Post Office. Postal workers are under threat as corporate executives move in to take over.

RFK Jr. has spouted reckless conspiracy theories about autism for years—spreading dangerous lies about links between autism and vaccines and calling autism a "preventable disease" that “destroys” lives, which experts say is unfounded and stigmatizing. Most recently, he's made promises to "find the cause" of autism by September of this year. But experts say that the lack of clarity around how data will be collected, shared, maintained, and tested for accuracy raises red flags. Rather than including the communities most impacted by RFK JR.'s proposal, federal health agencies have repeatedly excluded autistic people and those with disabilities from the conversation, deepening a sense of mistrust. We need states to intervene, protecting Americans' medical data and stopping RFK Jr.’s dangerous stigmatization of autistic and disabled people. Add your name!

Our healthcare system is under threat, and millions are at risk of losing essential care. If we stand together, we can protect access to life-saving vaccines and treatments to ensure a healthier future for all. Your voice matters—join us and demand action now!

In a baby’s first year alone, all the commonly purchased items and expenses add up to a whopping $20,384. And now, Trump’s tariffs would make it even more expensive to raise a child in America—all to push a reckless trade agenda. For new parents in lower-wage jobs, Trump’s tax increase could push them to the brink. The chaotic trade policy could increase the risk of shortages on essential products like what happened with infant formula in 2022. Dozens of lawmakers are already calling for Trump to implement a tariff waiver on goods necessary to care for young children, such as car seats, highchairs, strollers, and cribs.  Sign the petition demanding the Trump administration lift costly tariffs on infant formula, diapers, and other essential products for babies and children.

It’s a budget betrayal of working families, immigrants, and communities already pushed to the brink:  Congressional Republicans would funnel TRILLIONS to weapons contractors, private prison profiteers, and mass deportation operators. The kicker? They’d gut essential programs like Medicaid and SNAP to pay for it all.  If this bill reaches the President’s desk, it’ll do one thing: Embolden an unaccountable MAGA regime deadset on prioritizing billionaires' wallets over our communities' needs. The House passed this budget reconciliation package — and exposed deep divisions within Republican ranks that put this bill on thin ice in the Senate. It gives us an opportunity to derail these misguided priorities as this dangerous budget inches closer to the finish line. To seize it, your Senators need to hear from you now:

ABC News reports it may be the “most valuable gift EVER extended to the United States from a foreign government:” Trump has reportedly accepted a $400 million “palace in the sky” from the Qatari royal family that he plans to use as Air Force One — until he transfers the Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet to his presidential library foundation. It’s a security risk. It’s a corruption concern. It’s likely unconstitutional. And nothing is free. But the cost is so much higher than private jets and tech: These “gifts” and “investments” come amidst news of record-breaking arms sales: including nearly $2 BILLION in advanced MQ-9B drones to Qatar. If you’re thinking “someone should do something,” the good news is that someone is. The Senate has the authority to check Trump’s self-dealing weapon sales, and Senator Chris Murphy has vowed to force a vote to do exactly that. The thing is, even a Senator can’t work alone.

Standing with Sierra Moran here is important because her case represents more than just one educator’s struggle; it’s about ensuring workplace fairness, protecting individuals with disabilities, and holding leaders accountable for upholding the law and respecting basic human rights. If cases like Sierra's are allowed to continue unchecked, it sets a dangerous precedent that discourages others from seeking accommodations and fosters toxic environments in public institutions. Other people should join this campaign because it’s about safeguarding the rights of everyone: educators, employees, students, and community members alike. When we stand together, we send a powerful message that discrimination and retaliation are unacceptable. This isn’t just a fight for Sierra; it’s a stand for transparency, fairness, and the values we want reflected in all workplaces and communities. By supporting her, we help create a ripple effect of accountability that benefits everyone.

More details:   Elsy Berrios, a mother and Westminster resident, was violently taken into ICE custody by two agents (one of them masked) on March 31, 2025 in Westminster, MD. The agents did not produce a warrant, and Berrios was not resisting. Her daughter filmed as the ICE agents violated Berrios’ constitutional fourth amendment right by smashing her car window and taking her away. Ms. Berrios has an employee authorization document and had been working as a seamstress while she applied for asylum. Now, Berrios is being detained at the Moshannon Valley ICE Processing Center in Pennsylvania, and, in an immigration court that is operating under the Trump administration Department of Justice’s interpretation and bidding, Berrios was denied bond. On April 14, 2025, Sheriff DeWees said of Ms. Berrios, “It’s about time they came up and got her. She’s no big loss to this community.” We condemn Sheriff DeWees’ cavalier dehumanization of a community member based on unsubstantiated and disputed allegations. This is just one example of how ICE agents, with the support of local law enforcement, are enacting the Trump administration’s illegal reign of terror on immigrants’ right in our backyard. Carroll County Sheriff Jim Dewees and Carroll County State’s Attorney Haven Shoemaker claim that local cooperation with ICE is just "common sense.” They characterize people as "illegal" for simply existing in Carroll County while they work through an intentionally broken immigration system. They conflate being arrested with being guilty. They say cooperation with ICE will make Carroll County “safer.” But, we know that these claims of “common sense” and “safety” mask actions that trample Carroll County residents’ constitutional due process rights, that pit neighbor against neighbor, that erode trust between immigrants and the police, and that result in less community safety.  In March 2025, the Carroll County Sheriff’s office signed a working agreement with ICE to provide Warrant Service Officer (WSO) training to Carroll County Detention Center deputies. Due to a bill in the Maryland General Assembly attempting to ban such an agreement, DeWees did not immediately implement it. Now that the legislative session has ended and such agreements were not banned, DeWees has a green light to begin the WSO training. The training will allow Carroll County Detention Center deputies to serve and execute ICE administrative arrest warrants to people held in Carroll County detention who are believed to be undocumented immigrants. Warrant Service Officer training agreements are part of the 287(g) program, which draws its name from the Immigration and Nationality Act that authorizes it. 287(g) agreements create partnerships between ICE and local and state law enforcement – delegating authority to allow local officers to perform some of the same functions as an immigration officer.  Sheriff DeWees mischaracterizes 287(g) agreements as “non-discriminatory” and all about community safety. But, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) researchers describe WSO Programs as “an attempt to shield local officers from liability when they violate people’s rights, and as a way to subvert state and local decisions not to participate in immigration enforcement.” In direct contradiction to DeWees’ claims –  • Uniform crime report data show that 287(g) programs do not make communities safer.  • Data show that 287(g) programs undermine public safety “by decreasing trust in local law enforcement and diverting resources away from investigation of serious crimes.”   • 287(g) programs are feeding into a discriminatory immigration system. And studies have shown that “programs pushing more collaboration between local police and ICE like 287(g) use racial profiling to stop, arrest, and deport Black and Brown immigrants.” Carroll County residents’ politics are varied, but we are united in our desire to keep an inhumane, illegal, and weaponized immigration system out of our county. We have seen how ICE agents violated Elsy Berrios’ rights in our community. We have  seen ICE agents enacting illegal orders by detaining and “disappearing”  Kilmar Abrego Garcia and over 200 other immigrants to CECOT prison in El Salvador with no due process. We have seen ICE weaponized to suppress the free speech of students and others who lawfully protest. We have seen videos of ICE agents harassing and brutalizing people all over the country including in our region. Imagine what we have not seen! Under any circumstances, we do not support local cooperation with ICE or 287(g) agreements, which have been shown to be racist and dangerous for communities. Under the current presidential administration, cooperation with ICE and implementation of 287(g) agreements amount to local facilitation of and complicity with illegal and inhumane orders. ICE is currently not operating under constitutional principles. Therefore, Carroll County residents demand that the Sheriff’s office end all cooperation with ICE and end the WSO training 287(g) agreement.  The ACLU states that “the fundamental constitutional protections of due process and equal protection embodied in our Constitution and Bill of Rights apply to every person, regardless of immigration status.” As we see these rights being trampled across the United States and in Carroll County, we are speaking up to protect ourselves and our neighbors. It is now the Carroll County Sheriff office’s turn to be on the right side of history and stand up for the rights of immigrants and all community members by serving the Carroll County community instead of serving the Trump administration’s brutal and inhumane agenda.

Let me be blunt: if Budd and Tillis vote for the "Big Beautiful Bill," they are choosing to abandon North Carolina in its hour of need so that Mr. Trump can funnel $300 million in disaster relief money into protecting his private properties—Mar-a-Lago, Trump Tower, his golf courses—while our communities drown in debris and debt. Hurricane Helene caused over $60 billion in damage across North Carolina. Entire towns are still under water—literally and financially—and yet the Trump administration refused to honor a Biden-era promise to fully fund our cleanup. But now, when that same FEMA budget is being raided to pay for law enforcement security at Mr. Trump’s private estates, Budd and Tillis are staying silent again? That’s not just cowardice. It’s complicity. They’re putting party loyalty over the people who elected them—over the families, farmers, and small businesses of this state who are getting left behind. This is pure hypocrisy. For years, they’ve stood behind Mr. Trump’s empty promises to “take care of North Carolina.” They cheered while he blamed FEMA, blamed President Biden, and pretended he’d “take strong action” to help us rebuild. Well, here’s the truth: he lied—and now he’s cashing in. This bill doesn’t just “appropriate” money. It hijacks FEMA—an agency created to save lives—and turns it into a slush fund for Mr. Trump’s personal protection racket. You think that’s going to help North Carolina voters the next time a hurricane rips through Craven County or a tornado levels homes in Randolph? When FEMA says there’s no money left, remember where it went: Mr. Trump’s front gate. And let’s be honest—this isn’t about national security. This is about shielding a billionaire’s real estate portfolio from the same disasters they’re condemning their own constituents to face alone. He gets full reimbursement. We get the bill. So what will it be? Will our Senators finally show the courage to stand up for the people of North Carolina, or will they keep hiding behind Mr. Trump’s shadow while he bleeds this state dry? If Budd and Tillis vote for this bill, they are telling every storm-ravaged town in this state that they don’t matter. That they can pick up their own debris. That Mr. Trump’s gilded balconies deserve more protection than our children’s schools.