John,

Donald Trump already declared war on the Black Lives Matter movement. Now he's escalating us into dangerous new territory.

Trump's Department of Homeland Security sent teams of unmarked federal law enforcement officers into cities like Portland, Oregon where they've been tear gassing and unlawfully detaining protestors without any explanation. While Oregon Governor Kate Brown has announced these forces will be withdrawing from Portland, they're now headed to Cleveland, Detroit, and Milwaukee.

There are now less than 100 days to go until the election. Whether DHS's actions are intended to repress people stepping up to exercise their First Amendment freedoms or as part of a larger strategy to sway or disrupt the election, NOW is the time for us to raise our voices.

We are calling on all members of Congress to defund and dismantle the Department of Homeland Security agencies taking part in Trump's "surge" of unaccountable federal forces terrorizing communities and being sent to largely Black and brown urban centers.

We also urge members of Congress to deploy directly to the cities where this is taking place so that they can witness first-hand and report back on the actions of federal officers.

We cannot be silent in this moment as Trump escalates his authoritarian behavior. Please sign our petition here and tell members of Congress to defund and dismantle Trump's DHS secret police forces:

Sign the petition »

The illegal actions by federal officers — detaining protestors without any explanation or identification as to who they are or which agency they represent — have little parallel in recent U.S. history.

But unaccountable police forces operating with impunity? That's a reality that Black and brown communities have been living with for generations.

Eighteen years ago, the Department of Homeland Security was created as a cabinet-level office in the wake of 9/11. Almost immediately, Muslim communities and others found themselves targeted.

Broad authorities granted in the last two decades of the "Global War on Terror" have long allowed overreach and abuse by agencies and programs that have systematically targeted Black and brown communities as threats.

Trump's decision to ramp up the deployment of unaccountable federal officers in an election year is an escalation of these practices — as well as his own authoritarian and unconstitutional acts, from the Muslim Ban to housing undocumented families in cages at the border.

It's time to use every tool in our toolbox to demand a stop to Trump’s drift to authoritarianism.

Please take the first step and sign on to our petition to Congress here: Defund and dismantle Trump's DHS secret police forces.

Thanks for taking action on this,

Nelini Stamp
Working Families Party

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