Indivisibles,
We are in the midst of a full-blown constitutional crisis.
That statement has been true nearly every day since January 20, as the
administration has usurped the powers of Congress by illegally freezing
funds, declared fake emergencies to grant itself more power, and skirted
judicial rulings.
But Trump’s brazen defiance of a Supreme Court order to facilitate the
return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia from a Salvadoran torture prison is truly a
watershed moment for our teetering democracy.
To recap:
* The Trump administration has sent over 238 people (likely far more) to
a torture prison in El Salvador without due process. [ [link removed] ]Mounting
reporting suggests many of these people have no gang affiliation at
all, despite the administration’s hollow claims.
* One of those people was Kilmar Abrego Garcia -- a man who had been
granted protected status, prohibiting his deportation by the federal
government. The Trump administration deported (kidnapped) him anyway
and blamed it on an administrative error.
* On April 10, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the Trump
administration must facilitate Abrego Garcia’s return.
* In the days since, the administration has made it clear it does not
intend to comply with the Supreme Court’s ruling, ludicrously claiming
that it does not have the power to bring him back.
Abrego Garcia’s legally protected status and the resulting court rulings
have made his name a rallying cry. But there are many, many more like him
who’ve been snatched up and sent to this foreign prison without due
process, and who -- by all accounts -- were ripped away from their
families with no real evidence of any wrongdoing.
And seemingly daily, the administration is grabbing legal permanent
residents and visa-holders off the streets, obscuring their whereabouts to
impede legal challenges, and deporting them merely for exercising their
First Amendment-protected right to dissent.
To add to the urgency of this moment, Trump told El Salvador’s dictator
this week that he should build new prisons, because the administration
hopes to deport American citizens next.
With Trump openly defying a Supreme Court stacked with his own appointees,
we’ll level with you: This crisis won’t be resolved through the courts.
And it ain’t gonna be solved by adding our name to petitions. The only way
forward is massive public pressure. We all have a role to play.
1️⃣ The first step is simple: Speak out. We need to help our networks
understand that this isn’t some abstract threat that has nothing to do
with them: If the administration can arrest dissenters, send protected
migrants to foreign prisons without due process, and defy the courts, all
of our rights are at risk.
Have these conversations in person. Post articles on social that refuse to
soften the edges of this crisis or normalize Trump’s actions. [ [link removed] ]Here’s
one. [ [link removed] ]Here’s another. [ [link removed] ]And another.
2️⃣ The second step: Make your elected officials feel the heat. Every
elected official took an oath to defend the Constitution. This is their
moment to put up or shut up.
Democrats are in the minority, but not without power. Richard Blumenthal
and Brian Schatz are delaying the confirmation of dozens of Trump
nominees. Cory Booker used a marathon speech to take control of one of the
most important commodities in politics: Public attention. And Chris Van
Hollen is currently in El Salvador on a mission to protect his constituent
and demand his return.
Republicans are less likely to speak out against the administration, but
they will if they’re getting enough blowback on this ([ [link removed] ]the kind of
blowback we’re already seeing at town halls). We can’t let them off the
hook here because we expect so little of them -- we’ve got to make their
phones ring off the hook.
[ [link removed] ]Whether you’re represented by a Democrat or Republican in Congress,
call them NOW and demand they speak out against Trump’s defiance of the
Supreme Court, push for an end to these lawless abductions, and move to
bring Kilmar Abrego Garcia home immediately.
[ [link removed] ]If they’re not answering or their voicemail is full, you can send them
an email using this tool (and then call back!).
3️⃣ Finally: We’re going to need popular resistance. We’ve known all along
that stopping Trump’s authoritarian takeover is going to take more than
calling our members of Congress. It’s going to take demonstrating to our
neighbors, our communities, and to those who may even disagree with us on
most things that what Trump is doing is not acceptable. It’s going to take
mass popular resistance, bringing people together in community to demand
change. It’s going to take getting into the streets to defend our
democracy.
You did this on April 5 for the Hands Off! Day of Action. You’re doing
this right now with protests and other events during the congressional
recess (there’s still time to get plugged in -- [ [link removed] ]see the toolkit here,
which now includes resources on Abrego Garcia’s case). And we’re going to
do this again together on May 1 for the [ [link removed] ]May Day National Day of Action.
Big, public demonstrations of defiance are opportunities for us to lock
arms, get loud, and fight back. Make a plan to participate now -- and
among the other chants in defense of our democracy, call for bringing
Kilmar Abrego Garcia home.
We’re continuing to work with partners on tactics that’ll draw attention
to the injustice of these kidnappings and disappearances and put pressure
on elected officials to do their damn jobs and uphold our Constitution.
Expect more from us on this in the coming days, but please do not wait to
take action. When far too many are choosing silence, we need everyone in
this movement to raise our collective voice now.
In solidarity,
Indivisible Team
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