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From Visibility Brigade’s West Windsor, NJ chapter

Hi, all, and happy Monday.

Really hope you’re all hanging in there. It’s an inexpressibly difficult moment.

We have a busy day—and week—ahead of us, as much is in motion and things are shifting rather rapidly. The Senate, as I know you know, has a big vote on DHS funding this week, and the stakes couldn’t be higher. The national mood has changed dramatically since the gang-style execution of Alex Pretti on Saturday. More Americans are speaking up. More are tuning in. Better yet, fissures in the Republican universe are turning into real cracks. I covered some of the places we’ve seen movement in yesterday’s “Extra! Extra!” but there’ve been more since then.

Just this morning, for example, we saw a Republican gubernatorial candidate in Minnesota drop out of the race—and seemingly the Republican party!—because of ICE’s actions in his state. Governor Greg Abbot just came out and said that the Trump administration needs to “recalibrate” ICE’s approach. Democrat Tom Suozzi has issued an abject apology for his vote to fund ICE last week, and apparently most of the other seven Democrats who voted for the bill have also expressed regret. Calls for the impeachment of Kristi Noem are growing by the hour. Businesses, athletes, and celebrities are finally speaking out.

Also, Trump is flying Tom Homan in to deal with the mess in Minneapolis. As political creator Amanda (of @amandasmildtakes) points out in this video, that could well be because he’s looking at getting rid of Noem and replacing her with Homan, who ran deportations under Obama (I did not know this!) and did so without raining chaos onto our streets. It could well be that Trump is, indeed, “recalibrating” based on the massive—and building—public backlash his administration is facing.

As for Congressional Republicans? They are mostly quiet, but even that is not necessarily bad news. Why? Because they have not yet leapt to ICE’s defense; normally they would. Nor have many of them—if any—joined the Trump administration in pretending the shooting was justified. Their silence is…uncertain. As if Republicans are waiting to see what their colleagues do, or whether or not this will all just blow over.

And that, my friends, is where we come in.

Our job today, and in the days to come, is to exert massive pressure on EVERY Senator—not just Democrats. While in theory we can stop the DHS bill with no Republican help, we can’t really achieve change without some GOP buy-in. I was at a meeting with Senator Schumer yesterday and he urged us repeatedly to get people to call not just Democrats but Republicans. He seemed largely confident of his caucus’s votes—with “one or two exceptions,” (one of whom we now know to be Fetterman—grrrr), but felt strongly we needed to lean on GOP Senators and get some on board, too. The ones he suggested as our best bets were Cassidy, Paul, Murkowski, Collins, Tillis and Hawley, but I think we should hammer all of them.

To better understand the mechanics of what’s happening this week, by the way, I highly recommend reading this short new explainer from We Build Progress. It’ll help you comprehend exactly where we’re at in the budget process, why we’re asking for the DHS bill to be separated out from the 5 other bills waiting to be passed, and what might happen if Thune refuses to do that.

OK, all. There is so much more to be said, but if I keep writing we’ll never get to our calls. And it’s safe to say that right now our calls have never been so important.

So let’s get to work.

Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲

Hi, I’m a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.

I’m calling to demand that the Senator vote NO on the DHS funding bill until we’ve gotten some real concessions on ICE. They must agree to pull out of Minneapolis, for starters. We need independent investigations into Renee Good and Alex Pretti’s murders. We need real accountability for ICE agents who commit crimes. Kristi Noem and Greg Bovino must be removed. Federal funding for ICE should be frozen.

[If Democrat add:] I am urging the Senator to stand strong on this. Do not bend. Do not yield. We have got your back but we want real change. Do what you have to do to get it—otherwise more innocent people will die. Thanks.

[If Republican add:] I want to remind the Senator that this should not be a partisan moment. I assume s/he has watched the videos of Renee Good’s and Alex Pretti’s murders. Just yesterday ICE was filmed in Los Angeles threatening another observer in a park, saying he would “make them famous.” These agents are untrained, unaccountable, and eager to kill again. If the Senator does nothing more innocent people will die. Can s/he live with that?

Extra Credit ✅

Let’s call John Thune in his capacity as Senate Majority Leader. (202) 224-2321 or (605) 225-8823 or (605) 334-9596 or (605) 348-7551. Obviously the DC number is best but if you can’t get through do use one of the others!

We can say something like:

My name is ______ and I’m an American citizen from [state]. I’m calling Senator Thune in his capacity as Senate Majority Leader to ask him to please strip the DHS funding bill out and make it a standalone bill so the other appropriations bills can be passed and the DHS bill can be reworked. This should not be a partisan moment. We are begging you to help us. ICE and DHS are violating our Constitutional rights and executing innocent people. We are scared. We need immediate reform or more people will die. Thanks.

Live with Ben Sheehan today!

Today at 4PM PT / 7PM ET I’ll be doing a Substack Live with Ben Sheehan, author of What Does the Constitution Actually Say?, writer of on Substack, and host of Civics Made Easy on PBS, (which is about to hit a million views on the PBS YouTube channel).

Ben and I are going to talk about what’s happening in the Senate this week and the various ways it may play out. If we have time we’ll also talk about why we’ve cut civics education in schools (it goes back to the John Birch Society in the 1970s) and what we can do about it!

Hope some of you can make it. Just hop on to the Substack app at 4PM PT / 7PM ET and it should pop up. I’ll send out the recording afterwards as well.

Get Smart! 📚

Indivisible is holding a webinar tonight on filming and observing ICE—it’s called Eyes on ICE—Document and Record. I think half of the country is going to be there, but in case you hadn’t seen the invite yet I thought I should include it.

From them:

Join our call, Eyes on Ice: Document and Record on Monday, January 26th, 2026, at 8:00 pm ET. RSVP for Link. 1/26/26 at 8 PM ET.

We will cover the latest updates on ICE and CBP’s out-of-control and dangerous operations. We will talk through rights when documenting and recording law enforcement encounters, and how you can continue to take action.

RSVP here.

Messaging! Messaging! Messaging! 📣

Reframing America has some excellent messaging advice re: ICE and Minnesota. I’ll be implementing it. Read it here:

Reframing AmericaHow to Message the Occupation of MinnesotaPlease use this document to craft your own messages…Read more16 hours ago · 53 likes · 4 comments · Antonia Scatton

Give 💰!

Force Multiplier presents: Re-Engage Black and Latino Communities and Counter Online Disinformation with Esosa Osa, Founder of Onyx Impact, and Ameer Patel, Chief Program Officer, Voto Latino

Monday, January 26, 2026, 7–8 pm ET

Onyx Impact and Voto Latino use innovative, digital strategies to re-engage Black and Latino voters who drifted from Democrats in 2024 but may be persuadable in 2026 and beyond. Here’s how they will use the funds we raise:

Onyx Impact will operate state-specific social media accounts run by young Black creators that correct disinformation and advocate for issues of importance to Black voters, a model proven extraordinarily successful in the Virginia Governor’s race.

Voto Latino will conduct sustained engagement online and in-person with diverse Latino constituencies in order to protect or flip competitive House seats where Latino voters could be decisive.

Both groups prioritize bringing online outreach to news-avoidant, inconsistent voters by leveraging “culture-forward” content delivered by trusted messengers. Both conduct rigorous post-election analysis to measure impact.

Your support will help build a winning Democratic coalition and flip the House in 2026.

Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.) 💻

[To: your two Senators] [H/T ] [Text SIGN PGBRKX to 50409, or to @Resistbot on Apple Messages, Messenger, Instagram, or Telegram]

(Note that for the most effective RESISTBOT it’s best to personalize this text. More about how to do this here. But if you’re short on time just send it as is using the above code.)

Today, we call on the United States Senate to withhold funding for the Department of Homeland Security unless and until Congress imposes enforceable limits on Immigration and Customs Enforcement. We also copy the House of Representatives, which will ultimately be required to vote again on any final appropriations package.This request follows the killing of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen who was fatally shot by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis on January 24, 2026. Pretti was filming federal agents when he was violently restrained and killed. His death came just weeks after another fatal ICE shooting in the same city and is part of a growing pattern of deadly force used by immigration authorities against both immigrants and citizens.The House has already passed a Department of Homeland Security funding bill that preserves ICE’s budget for fiscal year 2026. That legislation now moves to the Senate as part of a broader funding package that must be resolved by January 30 to avoid a partial government shutdown. The Senate must not allow this moment to pass without meaningful action.Recent disclosures confirm that ICE is operating outside constitutional limits. A whistleblower revealed an internal DHS memo authorizing agents to enter homes without a judicial warrant—an explicit violation of the Fourth Amendment. Since their creation in 2003, ICE and its parent agency, Customs and Border Protection, have engaged in warrantless raids, unconstitutional interior checkpoints, family separations, and widespread abuse in detention. These are systemic failures that persist despite years of warnings, litigation, and public outcry.The violence is escalating. Alex Pretti’s killing was the ninth ICE shooting since September 2025. Federal agents have increasingly been deployed into cities with little coordination with local authorities, inadequate training, and minimal accountability. This is not a matter of isolated misconduct; it is the predictable result of an agency operating without effective constraints.Claims that withholding DHS funding would jeopardize public safety or essential services are misleading. ICE recently received approximately $75 billion through last year’s major budget legislation, funds provided without meaningful guardrails or oversight. Even in the event of a funding lapse, ICE would be able to sustain operations for years using existing resources. Other DHS agencies should not be used as political cover to continue financing an enforcement arm that has repeatedly violated constitutional rights.The Senate now has real leverage and a clear responsibility. Senators must withhold support for any funding bill or continuing resolution that maintains ICE funding without enforceable reforms, and must work to reclaim previously appropriated funds that are enabling unlawful and deadly conduct.Congress’s power of the purse exists for moments exactly like this. The Senate must use it now.

OK, you did it again! You’re helping to save democracy! You’re amazing.

Talk soon.

Jess

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