Three to Get Ready for January 28, 2026

Bad News First

The news can be disheartening, but it can also inspire or focus our engagement. Let’s gird our loins and take a quick peek.

1. Consistent with reports out of Minnesota and Maine, citizen observers of ICE activity are coming under increased federal investigation, with the FBI investigating Signal chats, an officer threatening an observer that “We have a nice little database, and now you’re considered a domestic terrorist,” and Tom Homan, who is now overseeing ICE operations in Minnesota, boasting, “We’re going to create a database … and put their face on TV.”
2. The Department of Energy has “slashed hundreds of pages of requirements” for nuclear reactor safety, communicating the changes to companies without notifying the public.
3. In 2025, more than ten thousand STEM PhDs left their federal jobs, representing a loss of more than 106,000 years of federal work experience. Perhaps not coincidentally, nearly half of CDC databases are not being updated, creating gaps in health data.

But Here’s the Good News

Bad news drives clicks, so encouraging developments don’t always show up in the headlines. But good things are happening, so take heart!

1. Greg Bovino has been removed as Border Patrol Commander, 160 House Democrats have signed on to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem–with two Republican Senators calling for her resignation–and Senate Democrats are opposing federal government funding necessary to avoid a shutdown because it includes money for the Department of Homeland Security.
2. A federal judge in Minnesota has ordered the acting ICE director to appear in court, threatening contempt, while another judge has ordered two U.S. attorneys representing the government in an immigrant detention case to file a written response showing why they should not be sanctioned.
3. A group of local prosecutors from jurisdictions in Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Texas, and Virginia have launched a project called Fight Against Federal Overreach (FAFO), to hold federal authorities to account.

And Here’s What You Can Do

Democracy requires participation. Plus, doing good is good for you. Give it a try.

1. Scroll through the Ice Out for Good toolkit and see how you can make a difference by opposing federal funding, demanding corporate action, or preparing to observe ICE enforcement in your neighborhood.
2. Find your state on this list of Immigrant Rights and Mutual Aid Groups or this list of Immigration System Bail Funds and see if there’s a group you can support.
3. If you’re a podcast person, subscribe to What’s the Plan? with Leah Greenberg and Ezra Levin, for weekly encouragement, discussion, and action ideas.