Milestone As Minneapolis Prosecutor Charges ICE Agent For Crimes On Duty (4/17/16)
Tell more DAs to follow Hennepin County's example. Plus hosting #MayDayStrong events, a victory for immigrants in the House, taking our message direct to Citizens execs and more
🗳️🗳️ Uncompromising progressive Analilia Mejia wins a sweeping victory in New Jersey House race… now we’re on to Virginia! Sign up for textbank shifts today, English and Spanish-language phonebanks all weekend here 🗳️🗳️
TOO LONG, DIDN’T READ
Two weeks until the May Day shutdown – find or host events near us, join the labor call Tuesday, keep asking folks to join
We’ve got a wave of big primaries coming up - check the calendar, see who’s on your ballot and sign up for election reminders
New newsletter shines a spotlight on our least accountable branch: the Supreme Court
If you have questions, comments, and especially submissions for actions, please email us at roganslisttips@gmail.com!
AN ICE AGENT HAS BEEN CHARGED WITH A FELONY BY LOCAL PROSECUTORS
We’ve reached a milestone moment in the fight for accountability against the deportation machine. Yesterday, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty filed felony assault charges against ICE agent Gregory Donnell Morgan Jr., who pointed his service weapon at two people on a highway in Minneapolis in February during the heart of Operation Metro Surge. There is an active warrant for his arrest in what prosecutors have said is a first-of-its-kind case in the country. They’ve also indicated they are investigating 17 other use-of-force incidents, including the murders of Alex Preti and Renee Good and the shooting of Julio Sosa-Celis, and charges against other agents still may be to come.
Ultimately, we’re going to need to seek justice for the folks at the top. But in the meantime, the frontline agents carrying out their cruel agenda will go forward understanding the absolute immunity Stephen Miller promised doesn’t exist, and there are prosecutors out there who will uphold the law if they break it as they terrorize us. 🗣️ Let’s reach out to the Hennepin County Attorney’s office to thank Moriarty for being willing to prosecute ICE crimes. And let’s contact our own local prosecutors and demand they follow her example. We can find language to use here. 🗣️
14 DAYS TO MAY DAY
Two weeks from today, folks across the country will join together to shut it down – no work, no school, no commerce. We’re taking a stand against Trump and his billionaire backers to demand an end to authoritarianism and an economy that works for all of us, starting with reminding them that they need us, not the other way around.
But this isn’t just a day off. We’re holding rallies, walkouts and teach-ins to bring folks together and show our strength. 🪧 Let’s check out where folks are gathering for May Day near us here or on Mobilize. And if there’s not one in our community, let’s consider stepping up and hosting ourselves – we can find a toolkit here. 🪧
This shutdown is backed by key labor unions including the NEA, AFT, National Nurses Union, the United Steelworkers and the United Farmworkers, along with countless locals, and we’re still growing. 🫱🏻🫲🏿 Labor leaders are coming together to coordinate plans in an open call on Tuesday at 8 PM ET. If we’re union members, let’s encourage our leaders to join! 🫱🏾🫲🏼
📢 And let’s all keep making the ask to join the strike to folks in our lives! We can find tools for these conversations and a pledge to sign here. 📢
A VICTORY FOR IMMIGRANTS IN MIKE JOHNSON’S HOUSE, TWO VOTES SHY ON WAR POWERS
Something else remarkable happened this week. Democrats led by Rep. Ayanna Pressley successfully used a discharge petition to force a floor vote on H.R. 1689, requiring the Homeland Security Department to preserve temporary protected status for roughly 350,000 Haitian refugees from natural disaster and gang violence in the United States. Yesterday, they managed to pass this measure 224-204 with 11 Republican votes, a victory for immigrants in spite of the House being controlled by a movement deeply committed to immigrant bashing. It is unlikely that the Senate will take up this legislation and we do not have the votes to override a Trump veto, but it is a clear indication we are shifting politics away from xenophobia.
🗣️ If our members voted for this and especially if they signed the petition, let’s thank them for continuing to push back against the deportation machine. And let’s urge our senators to show the same kind of fight and demand the upper chamber consider protecting our Haitian friends and neighbors. We can find scripts and language to use here. 🗣️
In other developments on Capitol Hill, the House fell one vote short of passing a war powers resolution to end Trump’s campaign against Iran, with nays prevailing 214-213. This represents minor progress from the last consideration of war powers in the lower chamber in March, with three Democrats flipping from no to yes. Only Jared Golden (D-ME) and Thomas Massie (R-KY) are left crossing the aisle, while Warren Davidson (R-OH) voted present instead of his previous yes. 🗣️ We can find language to use to let them know how we feel about their votes on Trump’s war via the Progressive Caucus here. 🗣️
#DEICECITIZENSBANK WEEK: RATE AND REVIEW, EXECUTIVE AND BOARD OUTREACH
We’re closing in on Citizens Bank’s shareholder meeting and it’s time to step it up. The digital week of action urging Citizens Bank to drop their financing of concentration camps will continue this weekend with review bombs and taking our message directly to decision-makers. Here’s what we can do:
📥 TODAY, former and current Citizens customers are leaving honest, relevant feedback about our local branch and the bank’s apps wherever we can – Google Maps, the Apple App Store, Google Play, Yelp and more. We can find some guidance on 📤
🗣️ TOMORROW, we are sharing some of the stories of people who’ve been caught in the gears of the deportation machine with Citizens Bank executives. We can find example of those who have suffered in GEO Group and CoreCivic facilities along with email addresses and pre-written messages in the toolkit here. 🗣️
🗣️ SUNDAY, we are contacting members of the Citizens Financial Group Board of Directors to urge them to reconsider the bank’s relationship with the private prison industry. We can find sample drafts and contact info in the toolkit as well. 🗣️
REGIME CHANGE STARTS WITH THE 2026 MIDTERM PRIMARIES
We’ve been very focused on the special elections and getting ready for November, but they’re not the only time we get to vote in this midterm year. Primary elections are happening in all 50 states in 2026 allowing us to choose who will appear on the final ballot in November for election to Congress. Voting in our state primaries has some great benefits: we get to learn about candidates, we have a say in who runs in November, and we ensure that our voter registrations are all in order. 🗳️ Let’s get ready to vote in our state’s 2026 primaries: check our primary election dates and mark them on our calendars; look up who is running; visit the websites of the candidates; sign up for election reminders; and make a plan to vote. And let’s help others do the same! 🗳️
GETTING UP TO SPEED ON SUPREME COURT REFORM
We’re anticipating decisions soon on Supreme Court cases that could determine what remains of the Voting Rights Act, whether the Federal Reserve is truly independent, the future of birthright citizenship and more. There’s also been persistent whispers that Samuel Alito might retire before the next term. Needless to say, the integrity and future of the high court is on a lot of our minds. 📖 Those of us who want to keep updated on what’s been going on and how we might fix the land’s highest court should consider subscribing to Major Questions with Jesse Wegman of the Brennan Center. We can check out his first post and his history of Supreme Court reform efforts here. 📖
👀 KEEPING AN EYE ON… 👀
Push back against a Republican gerrymander in Florida with phonebanks TODAY and Tuesday
Confirmation hearing for Trump’s Federal Reserve puppet set for Tuesday, tell senators to vote no
Text to build support against MAGA rep Eli Crane Tuesday at 7PM ET
Get trained on community strike readiness with Freedom Trainers 4/22 or 4/27
We’re now just 14 DAYS AWAY from the May Day shutdown - commit to joining, find events near us, and convince more people to be part of it
Public Citizen identifies 446 hospitals at risk thanks to the MAGA murder budget, let’s make sure folks in our community know we’re in danger and who’s to blame
Looking for ways to get engaged in the midterms? Here’s a full list! And here’s some ways to help with the spring elections!