SIGN THE PETITION DEMANDING THE RELEASE OF GUADALUPE AND EMANUAL!

Guadalupe and Emanuel Diaz are imprisoned in an immigration detention center after being pulled off the street by ICE in South Burlington. On August 27th, plainclothes agents pulled over the father and son while driving the van of a painting company where they work. The night before their detention, Emanuel celebrated his 19th birthday at the Champlain Valley expo. He and his father now find themselves behind bars in a detention center in Michigan, where ICE is moving to deport them. Sign the petition to tell the immigration judge to release the father and son, so they can return to their family and community in Vermont.

HELP PENNSYLVANIA, VIRGINIA AND NORTH CAROLINA 

Lean Left Vermont’s mission is to build a stronger, more just democracy by empowering Vermont activists to work on behalf of voters in other states. 

This fall they are supporting a phone bank in Pennsylvania to inform voters about their Nov 4th election of local leaders and statewide judges who make decisions on rights and freedoms such as fair voting districts. 

Lean Left is also recruiting poll observers for Virginia’s elections and providing training for voter assistance in Virginia.

STOP USING NATIONAL GUARD TROOPS FOR ICE PURPOSES

Earlier this year, Trump responded to anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles by deploying thousands of federalized National Guard troops - despite objections from the governor. Then he seized control of Washington, D.C.’s police department and called out the National Guard to police the streets of D.C. And he’s threatened to deploy the National Guard in other major cities across the country. The administration is also reportedly planning to send thousands of troops to ICE detention centers, turbo-charging ICE’s cruel operations to detain and remove immigrants while equipping military bases to detain more immigrants under dangerous, abusive conditions.
    Make no mistake: These actions are dangerous for troops, immigrants, and all of us - and take the National Guard away from their normal jobs, like helping communities facing devastation from natural disasters.
    Tell Congress: Stop the administration from using military troops and bases for immigration arrests and detention. Stop the misuse of the military. SIGN THIS PETITION SPONSORED BY THE ACLU.

BLOCK ICE FROM USING OUR AIRPORT

Here’s an article about BTV Commissioner Meeting:
https://www.sevendaysvt.com/news/activists-urge-burlington-to-block-ice-from-using-airport-44171940

EASE INTO PHONE BANKING

We are currently focusing on calls into Virginia with a group called Rural Groundgame. Their target is the 300,000 voters who have been identified as voting as Democrats or Independents but have not voted in the last two elections. We feel Virginia will be a bellwether for 2026 with the whole general assembly and statewide offices at stake.
    Here is our Mobilize link to sign up, as well as the websites for Lean Left Vermont and Rural Groundgame.
    We would love to have folks join us on the Sunday Power Hour. New people can just come, take the training, and listen in on a volunteer making calls. No pressure!

Policy and Elections

Purpose:  To advance research, action, and networks in Vermont and Northeast Addison County that result in effective policies,
fair elections, and good candidates dedicated to protecting our democracy and those victimized by rising authoritarianism.
We’re researching state Republicans standing against deportation and budget agenda and exploring what other states are doing to set up independent healthcare systems among multiple New England states.
Contact: Betsy Taylor    betsy@betsytaylor.com

Communications Team

Purpose: Develop an effective and responsive media strategy. Support other action groups.  
Engage more of NEACI membership in communications.
Contact: Howard Jennings   thejenningsgroup@aol.com

Events Action Group

Purpose: Organize our own events and promote and participate in others.
We’re organizing a table at the September 27 Bristol Harvest Festival; finalizing plans for the Migrant Justice training, October 1;
discussing how/where to participate in No Kings Day II, October 18.
Contact: Sarah Stott   sarahstott100@gmail.com

Membership

Purpose: To increase NEACI individual and group engagement to make our work to defend and strengthen democracy and promote justice as effective as possible.
We’re analyzing our subscriber lists so that we can more effectively reach out to see how NEACI can support people during these times and encourage hopeful and effective engagement.
Contact: Tory Riley   tory33713@gmail.com

Migrant Outreach

Purpose: Our purpose is to provide mutual aid for members of the migrant community.
We collaborate with other NEACI groups to respond to the assault on
Working on October 1 Migrant Justice training; applying for a grant from Indivisible National to support mutual aid; sharing resources to support migrants (e.g. driver’s license info); pursuing steps to stop BTV and airline participation in migrant transport.
Contact: Patty Lewis   plewis0849@gmail.com

Big Tech
Purpose: Research, confront and respond to the negative effects of Big Tech on our democracy.
We’re discussing who the major players are on the tech front, what exactly they're doing that's destructive, who else might be working in opposition to them within Indivisible and elsewhere, and what things we might do to ensure that whatever we do or discuss remains as private as possible. We decided to do some background reading on the topic, research who else might be working on this, and look into alternatives to our normal methods of communication.
Contact: Denny May   dmayday@verizon.net