MIL USHOR-2b Engine

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Lois Frankel (FL-21)

Today, Representative Lois Frankel (FL-22) led a bipartisan group of Florida lawmakers in urging Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo and the Florida Department of Health to ensure critical federal HIV prevention funding reaches community-based organizations (CBOs), preventing disruptions to essential HIV prevention services across the state.

This follows reports last month that White House directed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) not to renew direct HIV prevention grants to CBOs nationwide and instead distribute the funding to state and local health departments. In Florida, 11 organizations collectively receive approximately $5 million each year through the program.

The letter was cosigned by Reps. Maria Salazar (R-FL-27), Kathy Castor (D-FL-14), Maxwell Alejandro Frost (D-FL-10), Jared Moskowitz (D-FL-23), Darren Soto (D-FL-9), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL-25), and Frederica Wilson (D-FL-24).

“Florida’s CBOs are trusted providers that deliver lifesaving services, including HIV testing, prevention, care coordination, and outbreak response. Any interruption in funding would jeopardize these services, increase the risk of HIV transmission, and undermine the State’s progress in ending the HIV epidemic. In addition, without either direct federal funding or state pass-through funding, affected CBOs risk losing eligibility for the 340B Drug Pricing Program. That would eliminate a critical source of support for providing free or low-cost PrEP and PEP medications and other essential services to uninsured and underinsured Floridians,” the lawmakers wrote.

“We appreciate FL DOH’s commitment to protecting public health. We respectfully request that the Department act promptly to ensure uninterrupted HIV prevention services for Floridians and provide a response outlining FL DOH’s plans for establishing cooperative agreements with CBOs to pass through these funds,” the lawmakers continued.

Representative Frankel also joined House Democratic colleagues in a separate letter to White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought demanding answers about reports that OMB directed the CDC not to renew approximately $46 million in direct HIV prevention grants supporting 96 community-based organizations. The lawmakers emphasized that Congress appropriated these funds to support evidence-based HIV prevention services, including HIV testing, linkage to care, referrals for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), and outbreak response.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Suzanne Bonamici (1st District Oregon)

WASHINGTON, DC [8/13/26] – Today Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01) announced that Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read will join her upcoming telephone town hall meeting on election security.

Bonamici and Read will provide opening remarks before answering questions from constituents. The telephone town hall meeting will be held on August 26 at 6 p.m. PT.

“Oregon’s vote by mail elections are safe and secure, and they allow people across the state to vote from home at a time that works best for them,” said Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici. “It’s unacceptable that Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans continue to demand changes to our election system that would make it harder for millions of eligible voters to make their voices heard. I’m grateful that Sec. Read will join me to answer questions and set the record straight on election security.”

“There are a lot of people in power who think it’s okay to throw evidence-free doubt on any election results they don’t like, but the truth is Oregon’s elections are secure, accurate, and fair, and we’re prepared to keep it that way. Transparency and information are the best antidotes to questions and conspiracy theories, so I look forward to talking to Oregonians about everything on their minds ahead of this year’s election,” said Secretary of State Tobias Read.

Constituents can sign up to receive a call at Bonamici.house.gov/live. Audio of the telephone town hall meeting will also be available via livestream at Bonamici.house.gov/live.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Joe Neguse (D-Co 2)

“NATO is the most successful defensive military alliance in history, having served as the cornerstone of trans-Atlantic peace and U.S. national security for over seven decades. Now is the time to recommit to this alliance…not to pull back and create vulnerabilities that risk implicating the United States.” 

Washington, D.C. — Colorado Congressman Joe Neguse, alongside Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Representative Don Bacon (R-NE), penned a letter to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegeseth regarding reports that the Department of Defense plans to reduce contributions to North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) operations in Europe, undermining allied security and emboldening Russia at a particularly divisive time for trans-Atlantic stability.

“Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the United States has maintained an increased presence in Central and Eastern Europe to deter Russia’s potential aggression against NATO allies. Earlier this summer, however, the United States European Command announced plans to scale back the number of forces committed to NATO, including a 30 percent cut to fighter jets, a decrease in reconnaissance planes, and the withdrawal of aerial refueling tankers,” the lawmakers wrote. 

“This decision will severely undermine allied surveillance and intelligence coordination, leaving NATO allies vulnerable as President Vladimir Putin weighs aggression against our NATO allies — whom the United States is legally obligated to defend, if called upon under Article 5. Deterring Russia through strong support for NATO is far less costly than potentially fighting a war with Russia in the future.”

The bipartisan trio urged reconsideration of the proposed cuts to NATO resources and requested the Defense Department share its plans for how the United States would uphold long-standing commitments to allied security. Neguse, Bennet, and Bacon also stressed that now is the time to reaffirm America’s leadership within NATO, not to introduce uncertainty or risk the alliance’s collective strength.

“We understand your Department’s efforts to ensure Europe pays more for its own defense so the United States can spend more of our own resources deterring China across the Indo-Pacific. This is a long-running and bipartisan priority. But your planned reduction cuts deep across NATO capabilities and will take effect far earlier than European allies had been preparing for. This decision and its rapid implementation will weaken our shared deterrence posture in Europe by sending a troubling signal — both to our NATO allies and to Putin — about the U.S. commitment to this alliance at precisely the wrong moment.”

The letter concludes: “NATO is the most successful defensive military alliance in history, having served as the cornerstone of trans-Atlantic peace and U.S. national security for over seven decades. Now is the time to recommit to this alliance, particularly as NATO itself expands cooperation with Indo- Pacific partners to address the China challenge – not to pull back and create vulnerabilities that risk implicating the United States. Accordingly, we urge you to immediately reconsider the planned reduction of resources to NATO.” 

Click HERE to read the full letter.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Mike Thompson Representing the 5th District of CALIFORNIA

Woodland, CA – On Monday, just days ahead of the Social Security Act’s 91st anniversary, Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-04) was joined by special guest, former Commissioner for the Social Security Administration and former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, and President of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare Max Richtman for a town hall at the Woodland Community and Senior Center. Thompson, O’Malley, and Richtman answered questions from 4th District constituents about proposed changes to Social Security and impacts on our community. 

During the town hall, Thompson received the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare’s signature red boxing gloves, which are given as a symbolic token to congressional champions who have demonstrated that they are fighting on behalf of American seniors and defending entitlement programs. 

“I am honored to receive a pair of the National Committee’s signature red boxing gloves for my work on behalf of American seniors and for defending their benefits,” said Thompson. “For nearly 91 years, Social Security has been a promise to our country’s workers to allow them to retire after decades of hard work. It’s the most successful government program in our country’s history. Social Security allows Americans to retire safely and with dignity. I’m committed to continuing my work to protect the program. I’m proud to join Commissioner O’Malley and President Richtman in this fight.”

“Social Security is the most far-reaching and important act of social and economic justice that the people of the United States have ever enacted,” said former Maryland Governor and Social Security Commissioner Martin O’Malley. “This administration’s attacks on Social Security are an attack on America’s promise to working people of a secure retirement. The good news is that Americans of every background are pushing back to say, ‘hands off’ our earned benefits, and Representative Thompson has been the strongest of champions in fighting back against this administration’s efforts to undermine Social Security.”

“I would like to thank Congressman Mike Thompson for his steadfast support for Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Seniors and their families are facing tremendous uncertainty, and Congressman Thompson’s steadfast leadership has been invaluable to CA-04,” said President of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare Max Richtman.

Thompson has worked to oppose the President and Congressional Republicans’ efforts to harm the Social Security program. Since President Trump was inaugurated, over 8,000 Social Security workers have been fired or retired, plunging the Social Security Administration to its lowest staffing levels since 1967. 

These efforts make it harder for Americans to access their benefits and they harm the program’s economic output. Every year, Social Security delivers $3.66 billion to residents of California’s 4th District. Beneficiaries often spend that money locally, boosting our economy. Efforts to privatize the program or reduce benefits risk not just the wellbeing of recipients but also risk the financial wellbeing of our entire community. 

Rep. Thompson is working to protect Americans’ access to Social Security.

This Congress, Rep. Thompson has coauthored bills and worked with his colleagues to oppose the Administration’s cuts and changes to Social Security, including joining a Resolution of Inquiry to demand answers from the Social Security Administration on their proposed mass layoffs and closures of field and regional offices.

Rep. Thompson remains committed to working on behalf of Fourth District residents to protect the critical services they rely on every day and to strengthen our democracy.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Mike Thompson Representing the 5th District of CALIFORNIA

Washington, D.C. – On Friday, the Senate unanimously passed Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA-04), Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL-17), Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-CA-19), Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA), and Senator Adam Schiff’s (D-CA) Doug LaMalfa Federal Disaster Tax Relief Certainty Act (H.R. 5366) to ensure wildfire survivors are not taxed on compensation they receive for losses and damages suffered during a federally declared wildfire disaster before January 1, 2027. This bill extends Thompson and Steube’s landmark 2024 law providing tax relief for individuals impacted by federally declared disasters. 

“Fire survivors have been through enough in the wake of losing their homes and livelihoods to wildfires. It’s wrong to tax them on the settlement money meant to help them rebuild their lives,” said Representative Thompson. “Our bill ensures that survivors of disasters in the near future don’t have to come to Congress asking for relief after every fire, flood, hurricane, or other disaster. I’m thankful to Senator Padilla and our colleagues who voted to pass this bill.”

“After a fire takes your home, the last thing families and communities should have to think about is a tax bill on the very settlement meant to help them rebuild. In 2024, we passed the original Protect Innocent Victims of Taxation After Fire Act that fixed our outdated tax code to remove this unfair financial burden, but that provision expired at the end of last year — even as survivors of the Los Angeles fires are still working to rebuild,” said Senator Alex Padilla. “With devastating wildfires on the rise, I’m proud to get this commonsense, bipartisan solution over the finish line so survivors aren’t left waiting, worrying, and wondering about their financial futures after disaster. We must continue working to make this exemption permanent.”

“Surviving a natural disaster can place an enormous financial burden on families. That’s why it’s critical we support victims of devastating disasters like the wildfires in California and across the country. I’m proud that this bipartisan effort with my colleagues Senator Rick Scott and Representatives Greg Steube, Mike Thompson, and Jimmy Panetta has advanced through Congress. We need to ensure that those hit the hardest when disaster strikes receive the support and the tax relief they need to recover. And in getting this bill to the President’s desk, we affirm a vital part of the late Doug LaMalfa’s legacy,” said Senator Adam Schiff.

BACKGROUND

Rep. Thompson serves as the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Tax for the Ways and Means Committee. He introduced the original legislation with Rep. Doug LaMalfa in the House of Representatives to provide tax relief to PG&E fire victims in the 117th Congress and worked with Senator Padilla and Rep. LaMalfa to advance the legislation.

In 2024, Rep. Thompson and Rep. Steube led a bipartisan group of 218 Members of Congress to successfully advance a discharge petition which forced House Speaker Mike Johnson to bring the Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2023 to the House floor for a vote. The historic advancement of Rep. Thompson and Rep. Steube’s petition marked only the third time a House discharge petition had succeeded in the 21st Century. The bill passed the Senate by unanimous consent and was signed into law by President Biden in December of 2024.

H.R. 5366, originally introduced as the Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2025 and later renamed in honor of the late Congressman Doug LaMalfa, builds upon Rep. Thompson’s landmark law by codifying and extending disaster tax relief provisions through January 1, 2027. The bill allows individuals to deduct disaster-related losses more easily, including for those who do not itemize, and ensures wildfire relief payments are not treated as taxable income. Read the full bill text here.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Mike Thompson Representing the 5th District of CALIFORNIA

IN A LETTER TO ATF, LAWMAKERS URGE BUREAU OF ALCOHOL, TOBACCO, FIREARMS AND EXPLOSIVES TO WITHDRAW PLANNED DEREGULATORY ACTIONS

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Rick Larsen (2nd Congressional District Washington)

Larsen Announces $7 Million for Ferries in Island & San Juan Counties

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Rick Larsen (2nd Congressional District Washington)

Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02), top Democrat on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), top Democrat on the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, joined 39 congressional Democrats in demanding that the Trump administration stop delaying the advancement of public transportation projects funded by the Capital Investment Grants (CIG) program.

As reported in the New York Times: “‘It smacks of blue state-red state politics,’ said Representative Rick Larsen of Washington, the lead Democrat on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, who organized the letter with Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. ‘What they’re doing is they’re punishing blue states, they’re delaying jobs, and they’re increasing project costs,’ Mr. Larsen said. ‘That will be the outcome of these delays.’ Other projects in red states, he said, may be collateral damage in the administration’s hostility toward the program.

Currently, the Federal Transit Authority (FTA) has access to more than $1.9 billion in unobligated and unallocated funds ready to be spent. However, the Trump administration continues to hold up significant projects instead of spending its infrastructure dollars.

“We have watched for months as the FTA and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) have stonewalled the progress of worthy transit projects while President Trump and Department of Transportation Secretary Duffy are proclaiming a commitment to a ‘golden age of transportation,’” the congressional Democrats wrote in a letter to FTA Acting Deputy Administrator Matthew Cahill and OMB Director Russell Vought.

“Every $1 invested in transit generates $5 in long-term economic value. Conversely, failing to deliver on long-promised transit investment carries serious economic consequences,” the members continued.

The members concluded by reminding the Trump administration officials of the historically bipartisan nature of CIG-funded projects and demanded that their agencies immediately advance the stalled projects – regardless of a state’s 2024 election results.

You can read the full letter HERE and below.

Dear Director Vought and Acting Deputy Administrator Cahill,

We write to express deep concern regarding reports that your agencies are delaying the advancement of public transportation projects within the Capital Investment Grants (CIG) pipeline. As members of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs and House Transportation and Infrastructure Committees and as members of the House and Senate representing affected projects, we have an obligation to ensure that the CIG program is carried out in accordance with statutory requirements that have been enacted to ensure that taxpayer resources are not wasted as a result of delay by the federal government. We have watched for months as the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) have stonewalled the progress of worthy transit projects while President Trump and Department of Transportation Secretary Duffy are proclaiming a commitment to a “golden age of transportation.” We would like to remind you that such a vision is woefully incomplete if it does not include delivering CIG projects that will provide fast, frequent and reliable transit service across the nation.

The growing backlog of projects in limbo due to FTA and OMB inaction is unacceptable. Since last fall, your agencies have neglected to advance the Boston Green Line Transformation project, the Los Angeles Southeast Gateway Line and the Salt Lake City region’s Frontrunner 2X project into the CIG Engineering phase—without justification for the delay. Last week, FTA moved the Utah project into Engineering, a welcome development, but the two other projects remain stalled.

This delay is occurring despite the fact that FTA currently has access to more than $1.9 billion in unobligated and unallocated funds that are available to support CIG projects, and Congress has consistently appropriated new funds each year to the CIG program. The Frontrunner 2X project has already been allocated $594 million of CIG funding, and based on FTA’s commitment at Engineering entry last week, the project will need only $693 million of additional CIG program funds.

We wish to remind you that the projects in Boston, Los Angeles and Salt Lake City have all completed a comprehensive rating process pursuant to the CIG program guidance that was most recently updated by FTA in November of 2025, under President Trump’s administration. Each of the three projects received an overall project rating that qualified them to enter the Engineering phase and later receive a Full Funding Grant Agreement. In fact, the projects in Boston and Los Angeles received an overall higher rating of “medium-high,” compared to the “medium” overall rating of the Utah project.

FTA and OMB should advance all projects that meet statutory criteria, and your agencies should not impose any further delays. Under the most recently enacted appropriations law and prior appropriations laws, FTA, OMB and the Administration are prohibited from using any federal funds to “impede or hinder project advancement or approval for any project seeking a Federal contribution from the capital investment grants program of greater than 40 percent of project costs,” which includes the delayed projects. We are very concerned that delaying the CIG project pipeline, while advancing only the Utah project, is potentially rooted in partisan political considerations, which could further violate statutory requirements.

We are frustrated by reports that OMB is partially responsible for these avoidable and costly delays. As a result of these stalling tactics, there has not been a single new CIG grant agreement signed since this Administration took office. Should this egregious trend continue, 11 projects in 10 states (California, Florida, Maryland, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin) that anticipate signing a CIG grant agreement this year could be subjected to senseless delay. No Administration since 1993 has failed to sign a single CIG grant agreement in the first year: we urge you not to set a new record by failing to sign CIG grant agreements for two years in a row.

Unnecessary delays are not only frustrating; they are economically short-sighted. Transit is an excellent investment. Every $1 invested in transit generates $5 in long-term economic value. Conversely, failing to deliver on long-promised transit investment carries serious economic consequences. Project sponsors and taxpayers will end up footing the bill for delay-induced cost increases. The construction workforce and the broader transportation supply chain are left waiting for critical job-creating investments. In the interim, people have fewer choices to get around their community. The impact of trips not taken to work, to school, or to the doctor undermines economic growth.

Transportation policy is generally bipartisan, and we are proud of this reputation. Through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Congress re-committed to a multimodal federal transportation program. Every year, Congress reiterates a bipartisan commitment to CIG through the annual appropriations process. We stand ready and willing to continue making robust federal investments in infrastructure on the scale that our country desperately needs. However, any effort to impede or hinder CIG projects does serious harm to the bipartisan coalition that supports federal infrastructure investment. Congress must be confident that the CIG program will be executed in accordance with the law. Any delay or hinderance in delivering CIG projects further undermines our confidence that this Administration will faithfully execute the law.

Many of us represent communities with CIG projects that are currently impacted or could soon be impacted by your agencies’ actions. We request that you immediately advance the two stalled projects in California and Massachusetts into Engineering and prevent further program obstruction or delays. Please respond in writing, not later than August 18, 2026, with your timeline to advance the two projects into the next phase of CIG. Going forward, we request that you expeditiously approve projects that are eligible for a Full Funding or Small Starts Grant Agreement, including the 11 projects seeking grant agreements later this year. Investing in transit projects through the CIG program is essential to building a transportation system that works for everyone.

Sincerely,

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Nydia M Velázquez (D-NY)

WASHINGTON — Today, Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) released the following statement regarding the ongoing water crisis in Puerto Rico:

“During some of the hottest months on record, over 180,000 Puerto Rican households have been forced to live without running water for days at a time. Families cannot cook or clean, businesses cannot serve their customers, and the elderly and people with disabilities are struggling to get the water they need to live. The lack of clean water also raises the risk of dengue and other illnesses. 
 
“The water crisis in Puerto Rico is not the result of one drought or one infrastructure failure; it is the result of federal neglect and mismanagement. We have known about the worsening condition of Puerto Rico’s water infrastructure for decades, and some communities have lived with water shortages for years. But the worsening climate crisis has brought this situation to a head, as rising temperatures and droughts have pushed a collapsing system to the brink. 
 
“Governor González has claimed that ‘this situation is out of our hands.’ We reject this characterization. Both the state and federal governments have funds available to address this crisis. As Puerto Ricans continue to ration water, almost $30 billion in federal disaster grant assistance sits in limbo waiting to be disbursed. The Governor and the federal government must ensure that these funds are unlocked and distributed immediately. 
 
“FEMA has also continued the cruel policy of forcing Puerto Rico to pay for infrastructure repairs in advance and seek reimbursement later. In the midst of a crisis, FEMA must reverse course and expedite the advanced disbursement of funds to fortify the island’s water system.
 
“Access to clean water is a fundamental human right. Right now, the Governor and the federal government must do everything in their power to affirm that right, restore water access, and make the robust investments necessary to update Puerto Rico’s public infrastructure.”
 

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Joaquin Castro (20th District of Texas)

August 12, 2026

“They want to wreck families. They know what they are doing.”

San Antonio, TX — Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Congressman Greg Casar (TX-35), and Texas Reps. Trey Martinez Fischer, and Barbara Gervin-Hawkins announced they have asked six San Antonio area municipalities—Balcones Heights, China Grove, Hollywood Park, Saint Hedwig, Sandy Oaks, and Von Ormy— to withdraw from their 287(g) agreements with ICE. These agreements surged under the Trump Administration and allow local police officers to act as ICE agents and conduct immigration enforcement.

Congressman Castro led 14 of his colleagues, including state legislators and county commissioners, in a letter to the mayors of these municipalities urging them to end their harmful contracts and publicly release the details of their participation in the program.

Watch press conference here.

“Cities in Bexar County should reconsider their cooperative agreements with ICE. Parents have stopped sending their kids to school, people are afraid to show up to their places of worship, and businesses are losing their employees. U.S. citizens, legal permanent residents, and folks who have work authorizations get locked up because of President Trump and Governor Abbott’s mass deportation machine. They are racially profiling folks and wrecking families. Bexar County residents deserve leadership that protects them from an abusive and rogue agency,” said Congressman Castro.

“These agreements take cops off of their local beat to prioritize separating immigrant families instead,” said Congressman Greg Casar (D-Texas). “To every Bexar County mayor: don’t balance your budget through harassment, discrimination, and separating families. Read our letter, answer our questions, and end these agreements,” said Congressman Casar.

“Today, I stood with my Federal and State Colleagues to speak out against the injustice and inhumanity of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s 287(g) program,” said Rep. Gervin-Hawkins. “The negative impacts this program will have in our communities of color are detrimental and unacceptable. Most importantly, it erodes community trust and public safety. Our communities will be afraid of first responders, unreported crimes will increase, victims of crimes will be revictimized, racial profiling will intensify, the number of unlawful and prolonged detention of individuals will rise. This is not what our forefathers envisioned for our country. I will continue to fight against injustice and stand for the humane treatment of all.”

Read the letter to the mayors of Balcones Heights, China Grove, Hollywood Park, Saint Hedwig, Sandy Oaks, and Von Ormy.

The letter is co-signed by: Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Congressman Greg Casar (TX-35), Texas Senator Ronald Gutierrez, Texas Senator Jose Menendez, Texas Rep. Diego Bernal, Texas Rep. Philip Cortez, Texas Rep. Barbara Gervin-Hawkins, Texas Rep. Elizabeth Campos, Texas Rep. Josey Garcia, Texas Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, Texas Rep. Ray Lopez, Bexar County Commissioner Justin Rodriguez, Bexar County Commissioner Rebeca Clay-Flores, Bexar County Commissioner Tommy Calvert, and Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai.

Congressman Castro’s remarks as delivered:

I’m Congressman Joaquin Castro, and very proud to represent our hometown of San Antonio in the U.S. House of Representatives. And want to say a special thank you today to the representatives who have joined me, my colleague in the U.S. House of Representatives, who also represents a big part of San Antonio, Greg Casar, also two state representatives, Trey Martinez Fisher, who represents the West and the Northwest Side, and also Representative Barbara Gervin-Hawkins, who represents big parts of the East Side and the Northeast side.

I want to say thank you to them for being here today.

Myself and 14 of my colleagues are asking that China Grove, Balcones Heights, Hollywood Park, Saint Hedwig, Von Army, and Sandy Oaks cities within Bexar County end their 287(g) agreements with ICE. For those that aren’t familiar, 287(g) refers to Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, a federal law that lets ICE deputize state and local police officers to carry out federal immigration enforcement. These six cities signed on to what’s called a task force model, specifically the version that allows local officers to stop, question, and detain people based on nothing more than suspicion that they may be in the country illegally.

Now, this, as y’all can imagine, has led to a lot of racial profiling within Bexar County and around the country, and it effectively turns a hometown police department into an arm of federal immigration enforcement. So they’re turning local law enforcement into ICE agents and receiving money to do that.

In fact, after talking to some council members and at least one of the mayors of the cities, I believe that a big part of the reason that they’re doing this is they’re trying to balance their budgets with this money, because they receive money for each officer that is trained to carry out this partnership with ICE. Bear in mind that ICE has become a rogue, abusive organization under Donald Trump. We’ve seen their brutality on their on the streets, but also ICE seen their brutality, as has Greg, behind the closed doors of places like the Dilley Trailer Prison.

We’ve seen this cruelty in San Antonio as well, and as I said, they’re racially profiling folks. So if you are someone who has brown skin, who speaks Spanish in public, or who works a certain job or goes to a certain place, they’ve been staking out places like Home Depot and Lowe’s and other places where hardworking men and women will go to get supplies, and bear in mind, we shouldn’t forget that Greg Abbott is a full partner in Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign. The excess, the cruelty, the warrantless searches, the guns drawn, the masks—all of it—Greg Abbott is just as responsible as Donald Trump in Texas.

He’s partnered with the Trump Administration and flooded our streets with ICE officers and also DPS officers who are working hand in hand with what has become a rogue, abusive agency. They’re going after children, and folks who have not, who have no criminal record, and who have done nothing wrong, and that includes, as you all know, U.S. citizens who have been ensnared in this, legal permanent residents, and even folks who have permission to be in the country and work authorization. So let me be clear: these agreements should end because people like 20-year-old Herbert Ibarra Castro end up locked up.

This was a story of Herbert, who was a mariachi performer. What started out as a routine traffic stop for the San Antonio mariachi student turned into his family’s worst nightmare. He was pulled over for speeding in China Grove. Minutes later, ICE showed up and took him. Herbert was married to a U.S. citizen and had just filed paperwork for his green card. Since then, Herbert’s been released, but he should have never been locked up in the first place. And over a month ago, Texas DPS stopped Jesus Bracho on his way to work, he was with his nine-year-old daughter Katherine. DPS called ICE, took Jesus, and minutes later returned for Katherine so that they could take her as well. And ICE forced Jesus to lure his daughter out of his boss’s house.

And I posted that video, and others have as well on social media, she was scared and didn’t know where she was being taken, and they are both still sitting at the Dilley Trailer Prison. Because of these 287(g) agreements, local law enforcement officers are essentially partners in ICE’s cruelty, and our community. In many places, folks are scared and terrified. Some students in San Antonio stop showing up at school. Folks are afraid to show up to their places of worship, or even go to work. Businesses have lost employees. Some businesses have told me that either they’ve shut down, or they’re on the verge of shutting down and going broke.

And that’s why we’re calling on the mayors of Balcones Heights, China Grove, St. Hedwig, Von Army, Sandy Oaks, and Hollywood Park to reconsider and to withdraw these contracts. Our communities deserve police who protect them, not law enforcement that troll that fuels Donald Trump and Greg Abbott’s mass deportation machine.

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