A Whimsical 2026… or so we Thought

Going into 2026, I heard so much talk of how optimistic we are for this year. If you live in the U.S., however, this hope has immediately shattered by the news we are seeing of the inhumane and unrestricted ICE attacks, arrests, and confinements. 

For any of you unaware or avoiding the news, ICE has been heavily funded and endorsed by our current president and administration: a group that now has unrestricted access to target ‘illegal immigrants’ and just take them. They access tax records to find these people, arresting them at their places of work and inside courts, they’ve arrested and killed people who were legal citizens and are sexually assaulting the women. Young children are being kidnapped, and government officials are openly saying how they want a new Auschwitz for these people. This isn’t about immigrants not paying taxes, not working, or being dangerous criminals. This is about dehumanization.

And it is beyond disgusting. This shouldn’t be a political debate shaped as “republicans versus democrats”, this is a fight for humanity, period. No matter which side you are on, this is wrong.

As horrible as the start to this year has been, I am holding onto the hope that we can change things. It’s all we can do to stand up in any way we can, expressing our outrage, and not crumbling into despair. Instead of creating a lighthearted list of things we can do to make this year seem less bleak, here is a brief list of actual things YOU can do to help.

1. Download the app “5 Calls” and put your location in to see which government officials you should call and what you should say depending on the issue you pick. It’s so easy, and it makes a big difference.
2. Stay informed on your rights and what to do if ICE shows up at your door, place of work, etc. (Especially that you can ALWAYS record police officers and other officials). 
3. Sign petitions to stop funding ICE and donate to causes. Here’s one to start:

Stop ICE’s Attack On Our Communities | American Civil Liberties Union

4. If you have any platform, please use it to talk about this. The more pushback, the more chance we have to be heard. 
5. Download the app “AllSides” to get notified about current news from each political party. It is always important to know why people disagree and hear them out, even if you still don’t agree afterwards.

Keep your head up. Don’t stay silent. Be outraged and show it. 

Articles to look into:

The powerful tools in ICE’s arsenal to track suspects — and protesters

News Releases and Statements | ICE

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• ICE OUT
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