Alex Pretti, Renee Good, Keith Porter Jr. Three too many murders in Minneapolis and Los Angeles. Marimar Martinez was shot. Mahmoud Khalil was arrested and jailed. Detention centers are overcrowded and will continue to be. Oversight is being denied repeatedly to Congress. The presence of masked, militarized federal agents is not making our communities safer, it is making them less safe and instead terrorizing our country. People are afraid to leave their homes regardless of immigration status. We’ve experienced a solid year of blatant constitutional and human rights violations committed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. It feels helpless to watch people being arrested at their jobs, assaulted at peaceful protests, pulled out of their cars, blinded by munitions, and be shot and killed. The brutality we are witnessing is intentional: to push us into fear and silence. But the people are refusing to stay silent. Across the country, and here in CT, neighbors are coming together to protect neighbors. Because community is what will protect us. Workers across the country will continue to stand up for our rights, neighbors, and communities.
AFL-CIO President, Liz Shuler, shared a statement about the killing of Alex Jeffry Pretti, a 37 year old man, U.S. citizen, VA intensive care unit nurse, and a member of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 3669 - a brother in our union family. His murder came one day after the Twin Cities labor movement organized over 50,000 working people into the streets to send the world a clear message: immigrants belong here, ICE and Border Patrol do not. Unionized Minnesotans made clear, peacefully and powerfully, that the Trump administration’s horrific operation and their actions aimed at stoking violence and chaos must end.
This administration is no friend to unions. The Trump administration has revoked the union rights of hundreds of thousands of federal workers like Alex, and torn up their contracts. Thousands of VA workers were fired. Union members have been abducted for exercising free speech. Shuler says in her statement that America’s unions must join the call for ICE to immediately leave Minnesota before anyone else is hurt or killed. AFL-CIO demands local authorities conduct a full, transparent investigation that will lead to accountability for this tragic and violent act, and demand that Congress use its power to hold ICE accountable.
Despite all this turmoil, several sources are reporting that government officials fear a government shutdown and are unwilling to use Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and ICE funding as leverage to avert one. DHS legislation that funds ICE at current levels without policy restrictions is in the Senate and needs 60 votes to pass. We must urge our senators to vote against any funding for ICE’s budget and refuse to fund DHS until ICE’s abuses of power are stopped. The government funding deadline is February 13th. Call your senator today and tell them: No more money for ICE. Congress must not fund any organization that enacts violence in our communities.
We cannot rely on faith in our leaders to vote “the right way”. We must make sure and do all that we can as individuals and as a collective to make sure our voices are heard. Making these calls has already begun changing the tide across the country. Our CT elected officials must take every necessary action to ensure that CT is not complicit in the federal government’s abusive immigration enforcement tactics.
To reach your senator, call the U.S. Congressional Switchboard at (202) 224-3121. Tell them the state and city where you live. They will connect you to any member’s office.
Here are the two CT senators and their contact information:
Chris Murphy
Hartford: (860) 549-8463
DC: (202) 224-4041
Richard Blumenthal
Hartford: (860) 258-6940
Bridgeport: (203) 330-0598
DC: (202) 224-9673
Please call our senators and insist they vote against any additional funding for ICE. If no one answers, leave a voice message. If their mailbox is full, try their in-state office. If you get someone on the line, here is a script to follow:
“Hi, my name is (your name) and I am a Connecticut state resident from (city, zip). I’m calling to urge (senator name) to oppose any appropriations bill for the Department of Homeland Security that increases any funding for ICE.
I demand that the DHS appropriations bill prohibit ICE and Border Patrol agents from carrying guns and that it unambiguously declare that agents do not have absolute immunity under the law if they harm civilians.
Any bill must restrict ICE and Border Patrol’s ability to conduct dragnet arrest operations and target people based on their race, language, or accent. The bill must clarify that ICE agents are liable under civil and criminal law if they harm civilians. “
Do this as soon as you can.
If you are interested in getting involved in UCPEA’s community organizing around these issues, email Nishelli Ahmed at socialjustice@ucpea.org or Amber LaFontaine at politicalaffairs@ucpea.org
As employees of an educational institution, we have witnessed how ICE's activity and violence is traumatizing our students. Our young people cannot focus on their education when they are in a constant state of fear. We are at a crossroads. One path can lead us to a renewed democracy, built for everyone and the other path most certainly leads us to a dystopian, authoritarian future where only the ultra-wealthy matter. Choosing to do what is right is often not the easiest, most straightforward path, but it must be done. For what’s at stake isn’t just American democracy. It’s also our safety and security and that of our loved ones. This is personal to every one of us. When the world feels heavy, community is the answer. Our strength is in our numbers, our empathy, and our humanity.
Nishelli Ahmed
VP Social Justice
Amber LaFontaine
VP Political Affairs