**Good news** 1/23-1/30
Jan 24
DAY OF ACTION AGAINST TRUMP AND ICE
February 24th‘s day of action, sparked by a general strike in Minnesota, exploded into hundreds of marches, rallies, vigils, and other events in dozens of states.
In Minneapolis, countless businesses closed their doors in solidarity as protesters gathered outside the local ICE building. And at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport, religious leaders led a massive demonstration that filled the outside of the departures terminal.
This is all part of our growing movement that’s gaining ground every single day. In sub-zero temperatures, snow, sleet, and rain—people are showing up and inspiring millions of others to take a stand.
This is what resistance looks like.
Jan. 25
US Judge Blocks Trump Administration’s Push To End Legal Status Of 8,400 Immigrants
A U.S. judge blocked the Trump administration from ending legal status for 8,400 migrants from several countries who had been allowed to live in the U.S. under family reunification programs.
The judge ruled that the Department of Homeland Security provided no support for its fraud concerns and did not consider whether individuals could feasibly return to their home countries.
Read more here: https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/law-order/3782147-judge-blocks-termination-of-family-reunification-parole-programs
Federal Court Severely Limits Virginia’s Felon Disenfranchisement Law
A federal judge ruled that Virginia’s lifetime voting ban for people with certain felony convictions violates federal law, a landmark decision that could restore voting rights to hundreds of thousands of Virginians — especially Black and brown people.
THE CLINTON GAMBIT: Did They Just Trap the DOJ…
Bill and Hillary Clinton just looked the House Oversight Committee in the eye and effectively told them to go to hell. A subpoena demanded their presence for a closed door deposition regarding Jeffrey Epstein. The Clintons didn’t just decline. They sent a legal letter so scorching it practically burned the paper it was printed on.
It called the subpoenas “invalid” and “legally unenforceable.” It accused the committee of harassment “untethered to a valid legislative purpose.” This matches the sentiment of “eat sh*t” perfectly, though phrased in the polite brutality of high priced lawyers.
They asked a simple question. How can we testify about evidence you are hiding from us and the public?
This is where the strategy gets brilliant. By refusing to testify, the Clintons are practically begging to be prosecuted.
But once they become criminal defendants, the game changes. In a criminal trial, the defense has broad rights to see the evidence against them. To prosecute the Clintons, the Trump administration would have to hand over the documents they have been slow walking for a year. The Clintons are effectively holding a gun to the DOJ’s head. They are saying, “Go ahead. Charge us. But if you do, you have to give us the files.”
This is high stakes poker played at the highest level.
BREAKING: Top Republican candidate for Minnesota governor DROPS OUT of the race in protest of Trump and ICE’s murder of Alex Pretti, saying he cannot support national Republicans’ “retribution” against his state and that ICE has made it “impossible” for Republicans to win in Minnesota!
Chris Madel dealt a huge blow to the Republican Party’s hopes of winning the Minnesota governorship by dropping out of the race in a rare show of conscience for a conservative.
“I love Minnesota. was born and raised here. It’s my home… But today I announced the end of my campaign. I cannot support the national Republican state retribution on the citizens of our state, nor can I count myself a member of a party that would do so,” said Madel.
”United States citizens, particularly those of color, live in fear. United States citizens are carrying papers to prove their citizenship. That’s wrong. ICE authorizes agents to raid homes using a civil warrant that need only be signed by a border patrol agent. That’s unconstitutional and it’s wrong.”
“At the end of the day, I have to look my daughters in the eye and tell them, I believe I did what was right. And I am doing that today.”
Jan. 26
Bovino and some of his agents expected to leave Minneapolis tomorrow.
Top Border Patrol official Gregory Bovino and some of his agents are expected to leave Minneapolis and return to their respective sectors, according to three sources familiar the discussions, sidelining a key player in the Trump administration’s immigration
Minnesota judge summons ICE leader to court, threatens contempt sanctions
The chief judge, a George W. Bush appointee, said the administration had repeatedly violated or slow-walked court orders in Minnesota.
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/27/minnesota-judge-summons-ice-leader-00748831?cid=apn
Turnip Administration Sued Over 2 Deaths In Boat Strike Off Venezuela’s Coast
“Civil rights lawyers filed the lawsuit in Boston’s federal court, marking the first court challenge to one of the 36 U.S. missile strikes on vessels in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean authorized by President Donald Trump’s administration that have killed more than 120 people since September.” – https://uk.news.yahoo.com/trump-administration-sued-over-2-145850888.html
Jan. 27
Words of encouragement from Terry Moran:
Minneapolis feels like a beginning: The rediscovery of civic agency, of the plain fact that a free people can still answer power with truth and force it to retreat. Not by violence. By solidarity.
Hold on to that. Practice it. Make it a habit.
They will come again. They will try a new pretext, a new target, a new lie.
Now you know the answer.
Jan. 28:
MOMENTUM AGAINST KRISTI NOEM
Most Democrats in the House now support the effort to impeach Kristi Noem. And just last night, Republican senators Thom Tillis and Lisa Murkowski called for her resignation. Even Majority Leader John Thune is refusing to defend Noem.
Companies That Are Speaking Out Against ICE
And the ones supporting their efforts:
https://katiecouric.com/news/national-news/companies-supporting-against-ice/
DEMS END GOP MAJORITY IN MINNESOTA HOUSE
Democrats delivered two huge special election wins in Minnesota Tuesday night, breaking the short-lived Republican statehouse majority. Shelley Buck and Meg Luger-Nikolai won the seats left vacant after the November 2025 elections.
These wins are part of a larger pattern, with Democrats winning or outperforming their previous margins in 239 of 268 elections since Trump took office again. Should these trends hold, and if people continue to show up, Democrats are well positioned to win back the House and possibly even the Senate.
Jan. 29
ICE ceases enhanced operations in Maine
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) announced Thursday that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has informed her that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ceased enhanced operations in Maine, something Collins had repeatedly discussedwith Noem in recent days.
“I can report that Secretary Noem has informed me that ICE has ended its enhanced activities in the State of Maine,” the senator wrote in a statement.
“There are currently no ongoing or planned large-scale ICE operations here,” she continued. “I have been urging Secretary Noem and others in the Administration to get ICE to reconsider its approach to immigration enforcement in the state.”
Jan. 30
Senate Dems Force ICE Carve-out from Budget Approval
Public outrage over the violence of federal agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Border Patrol has given Senate Democrats a powerful lever. Thursday they forced the Republican majority to split new funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) off from five other spending bills that must pass by Friday to keep the government funded.
Popular anger over ICE shootings and the administration’s lies about them made Democrats in the Senate take a stand against the measure. They demanded accountability and reforms to current ICE operations.
Senate Democrats demand an end to “roving patrols,” with federal agents required to use warrants and coordinate with local and state law enforcement officials. They want a uniform code of conduct for agents and independent investigations to enforce that code. And they want agents to use body cameras and to stop wearing masks.
JUDGE SLAMS ICE
A federal judge appointed by George W. Bush rebuked ICE this week for completely disregarding court orders, providing a list of 96 separate violations in Minnesota during the last month alone.
While threatening to hold ICE’s director in contempt, Judge Patrick Schiltz wrote: “ICE has likely violated more court orders in January 2026 than some federal agencies have violated in their entire existence.”
When a Bush appointee—who clerked for hardline conservative Antonin Scalia—makes a statement of this magnitude, it shows just how far off the rails Trump’s immigration abuses have gone.
https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/ice-violations-judge-statement-twin-cities-texas-immigration/
And lastly, it’s FEBRUARY 1st! This means we are just over a week away from our big Meet & Greet on the 10th. If you’ve not RSVP’d yet, don’t forget to do so here (so we know how much food to bring!):
https://www.facebook.com/share/16qmxS88cm/
Knoxville had an estimated 2000 students, parents, and concerned citizens show up to Friday’s student organized WalkOut!
If the past couple of weeks haven’t renewed our faith in the power of human goodness to push darkness back with LIGHT, we need to be paying closer attention!
Photos by Omar Reyes Villanueva