January 25, 2026: Due to uncertainties related to the nature of the cold on January 26, we’re going to need to take the general meeting all virtual, out of an abundance of caution. Check your email for a Zoom invite link. If you haven't received the email about this month's general meeting and wish to attend, reach out to us at riverregiondsa@gmail.com.  

January 19, 2026: It would be ludicrous to pretend that simply watching the news right now doesn’t require some measure of courage. It feels like an act of bravery to simply open up social media or scroll through the pages of Reddit and witness the atrocities of an occupying force brutalizing our neighbors in Minnesota. Minneapolis may be 1,100 miles away from us in the River Region, but those are still our people living in peril or worse. And that’s scary. It simply is. 

We say this not to amp up your anxiety, of course, but to acknowledge it, and to let you know that we’re here for you. This is, in a sense, one of the most important things the DSA can do right now: support  this community of comrades you all have built, where we can trust and rely on each other at this moment in history and as the future unfolds. 

More than anything else, we want to encourage you to take care of yourself right now—to do whatever gives you courage or strength or solace. Whether that’s taking direct political action,serving your neighbors, or simply coming together for a few moments of levity and camaraderie.  Whatever that looks like for you, just know that your fellow River Region DSA members are here for you. 

In the meantime, there are a few small actions we can all take that can have a big impact collectively. You will find these at the bottom of this email. Together, we will get through this on the way to building a better word. As Angela Davis said, “It is in collectivities that we find reservoirs of hope and optimism.” Let us all be that for one another right now. 

THINGS YOU CAN DO:

1. Add your voice. Send an email demanding an end to reckless immigration raids and oppose any bill that would add to ICE's already massive budget. Click here and take two minutes to add your voice to nearly 100,000 others. When we overwhelm them with our message, we can see change happen.

2. Join us at Work the Lege on January 24th. ACLU Alabama is hosting a community teach-in at Work the Lege next Saturday. We encourage all interested members to attend this event, where you will learn with and from fellow organizers, advocates, and everyday Alabamians who want to engage with the Alabama legislative process. To attend, register here.
   
   

Lastly, with ICE raids rocking the nation and endangering citizens and non-citizens alike, it is important to KNOW YOUR RIGHTS. ACIJ has flyers in English and Spanish, as well as Haitian Creole, that you can either print and distribute or simply keep for your own information. 

We’ve also included examples of a judicial warrant and an administrative warrant as the image for this post. Know that ICE cannot enter your home with only an administrative warrant.

Yours in Solidarity,

RRDSA Interim Steering Committee

January 8, 2026: As you all know, over the weekend, the Trump Administration launched a series of escalating war actions, up to and including kidnapping the president of Venezuela in a military action that killed upwards of 80 people. 

Then (1/7/26), an ICE agent opened fire on people peacefully protesting ICE raids in Minneapolis, murdering an innocent person, Renee Nicole Good. DSA condemns this murder and demands the abolition of ICE, which terrorizes our neighborhoods and makes everyone, regardless of citizenship status, less safe. 

Trump is openly flouting international and US law, and Congress is looking on and doing nothing. A War Powers Resolution  — which would have prevented President Maduro’s kidnapping — failed in the House of Representatives by only 2 votes in December. This is a margin that is close enough that actions can close it. Congress has been letting Trump accumulate more and more power — this is one of the most explicit ways they could stand up to him, and our organizing can absolutely move the needle. The National Electoral Commission is currently reaching out to chapters in districts and states with strategic Congress members, but if you believe that your Rep or Senator can also be swayed, reach out to the NEC directly at nec@dsacommittees.org, or talk to your field organizer.

The NPC has made this statement, and last night, about 1,500 tuned in to a mass call with speakers from the NPC, International Committee, National Labor Commission, and National Electoral Commission. After we heard from speakers, people stayed on to make thousands of direct calls to members on the West Coast to contact their representatives. You can watch a recording of this call here, and we encourage you to share it with your chapters – it’s full of both important context around Venezuela and useful calls to action.

Our chapter is small, and currently we don’t have the capacity to organize a short notice rally, but we have some important actions each of us can take. Below you’ll find access to two tools that make it impossibly easy to send your emails. Some steering members have completed both of these in less than 3 minutes. Can you take 3 minutes and express your disgust? These do seem like small acts, but if taken collectively can make an impact. 

1. E-mail and call your Congressional Representatives now to ask them to pass the War Powers Resolution! Use this DSA tool to send an email to all your reps + share the tool widely on your chapter social media accounts.
   
   

2. Contact your representatives using this tool to oppose more money for ICE and CBP in the FY26 DHS appropriations bill which is getting conferenced as we speak. The message is simple: Don’t give ICE one more penny to jail immigrants in the FY26 DHS spending bill. Prioritized outreach to Sen. Schumer, Sen. Murray, Sen. Murphy, Rep. Jeffries, Rep. DeLauro, Rep. Cuellar, and Rep. Underwood would be most helpful! 

We can also encourage support and participate in the area Migra watch in ways that feel safe to you. If you are interested in participating, please reach out to riverregiondsa@gmail.com 

On November 19 at 3:00pm, Dr. Stephanie Madison from Clemson University is coming to Troy University to speak about El Refugio and how that organization builds community in one of the worst situations anyone could endure, specifically the conditions at Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, GA.

For more information, feel free to reach out to us at riverregiondsa@gmail.com. For more details about El Refugio, visit their website at: https://elrefugiostewart.org/

October 23, 2025: For November's Street Solidarity Action, in addition to feeding our unhoused and food-insecure neighbors, we're also running a collection drive for items that we hope will better prepare them for the coming winter months. With the regime holding SNAP benefits hostage and using the government shutdown as a convenient excuse, this sort of mutual aid is more important than ever. If you have any items you'd like to donate, we'll have two collection boxes: one at The NewSouth Bookstore (105 S. Court Street in Montgomery) and Hilltop Public House (3 N Goldthwait Street).

We'll be collecting items between October 25 and November 12, and everything we collect will be handed out to those in need on November 15.

For more information, feel free to reach out to us at riverregiondsa@gmail.com