Venezuela
A US military operation for oil and dominance
On January 3rd the US military launched an attack on Venezuelan soil, dropping several bombs, killing 100 people (including 32 Cubans) according to Venezuela’s interior minister, and kidnapping President Nicolas Maduro. This follows the attacks on small boats off the coasts of Venezuela and Cuba beginning in September which have killed more than 110 people. None of these actions have involved appropriate Congressional approval.
The Venezuelan VP has taken over (maintaining the current regime) and pushed back against Trump, stating that he does not control her destiny. Trump says the US will “run” Venezuela, while his administration bends over backwards to caveat that we’ll do so by influence rather than by force. We’re going to twist their arm so they allow US companies to tap and sell their oil. Or else.
The international response to these actions ranges from acknowledgement of Maduro as a dictator paired with a timid refusal to determine whether the attack was legal, to condemnations of violations of international law and blatant disregard for international sovereignty.
The Senate narrowly passed a war powers resolution which would prevent Trump from further action in Venezuela without Congressional approval, but the move is largely symbolic since Trump is certain to veto the bill if it passes the House.
Fighting Back
Protest comes in many forms:
Most directly, you could find the nearest demonstrations and jump in. Don’t just show up, shout a bit while holding a sign, and go home. Talk to your fellow protesters. Make connections. Commit to working together. Host or attend sign-making parties. Help plan the next demonstration. It’s cathartic to blow off steam at a protest, but the real power lies in building and expanding community as you do.
Alternatively, you could withhold your dollars. Economic protest may feel like it has little impact, but every dollar you don’t give to the corporations pulling the strings behind the administration, is a dollar well-unspent. Shop local when you can; uplift your community’s entrepreneurs. Don’t feel bad about the times you can’t avoid feeding a corporation, but be intentional in seeking out alternatives. Encourage your friends and family to do the same.
Be loud, and be aware. Make sure to fact check information you share on social media. Be mindful of what you don’t know, and share what you do. Write letters to the editors of your local papers and publications. Speak at municipal meetings. The people in your life should know what you’re doing and why. Standing against tyranny is not (in most cases) a quiet, private affair. I do recommend having some tact, but don’t let anyone muffle you. Be safe, but be bold. You are not alone.
Contact your representatives:
Start local with townships, city councils, school boards, and county boards. Demand they pass resolutions decrying the violence we’re perpetrating abroad. Find out if they’re invested in any way in the oil companies like Chevron and Citgo, and demand they divest. Don’t stop if they don’t respond the first time, or even if they tell you no. Continue the pressure, and encourage your community members to join you.
This website is super helpful if you don’t know where to start in contacting your federal representatives. Set your location, choose the issues that matter to you, and it’ll produce phone numbers and a script for you to follow. Make these calls frequently. Congress is not claiming their authority. Demand that they do their jobs.
If you have representatives at any level friendly to our cause, coordinate with them. Find out what they’re working on and how you can support each other. Maybe they need your support for a resolution they’re proposing. Maybe you need their support for calls to divest. Work together, and bring your community in on the efforts.
Educate yourself about American Imperialism:
Start or join a book club. I recently started reading How to Hide an Empire by Daniel Immerwahr. You could read something similar, or something specific to US interventions with Venezuela and Cuba. Whatever you read, talk to people about it. Share what you learn.
The War on Democracy is a 2007 documentary about US Imperialism in Latin America.
Comment below (on the webpage) to share additional resources!
ICE Murders US Citizens
“Deny your senses. Believe only us.”
You’ve likely heard about Renee Good. I think it’s important to note, right off the bat, that this is not the first time ICE has killed someone; not by a long-shot. Days prior, an off-duty agent murdered a father of two, Keith Porter in LA as he celebrated New Years Eve by firing gunshots outside. (It took the death of a white woman for many people to learn about the death of this Black man. This highlights why “Say Her Name” is not an appropriate call for Good’s cause. Listen to Black women.) Deaths in ICE custody in 2025 nearly tied the record set in 2004, and several people have died or been killed while attempting to flee Trump’s Gestapo.
Renee Nicole Good was a 37 year old US citizen in Minneapolis. You can read her wife’s statement here. Good was murdered by ICE agent Johnathan E Ross as she attempted to flee the scene. Ross held his phone in one hand and his gun in the other as he filmed the taking of her life. Twenty seconds before he killed her, she told him “That’s fine, dude. I’m not mad at you.” Moments later, he calmly switches his phone to his left hand to pull his weapon. After he shot her, you hear him call her a “fuckin’ bitch.”
The administration claims he was hit by her vehicle. The video shows him walking forward moments after the shooting with no apparent injury. They are calling her a terrorist, claiming her vehicle was a deadly weapon. Ross was standing to the side of the vehicle as he shot into her window. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem says Ross “followed his training,” but his training actually bars shooting into a moving vehicle if a “reasonable alternative exists,” such as stepping out of the way, which Ross did. Trump said it was surprising Ross was alive. Ross didn’t even drop his cell phone. His life was not at risk. The administration wants you to believe them over your own eyes and ears.
The FBI is refusing to cooperate with the state investigation. Minnesota investigators do not have access to the evidence.
Congress is debating possible options for oversight and policy changes within ICE, as well as the impeachment of Noem. Democrats are promising to use any leverage they have in upcoming budget negotiations to secure change. We must hold them to that promise, and make sure all of our representatives (Republicans, too) know their constituents are calling for ICE to be abolished and murderers held accountable. Regulation alone does not secure justice for ICE’s victims.
Fighting Back
*edit - it’s important to understand that ICE agents are not cops and their authority is very limited. You do not have to obey their orders. They can’t demand entry into your home or vehicle without a warrant signed by a judge. Know your rights, and help others know theirs. Never cooperate with the Gestapo.
Additional Notes about Protest:
Join or follow local organizations to track protest activities. Some local to my area, for example, include a number of Indivisible groups and the Party for Socialism and Liberation.
If you live in a rural area without much for orgs or protests, consider driving (perhaps carpooling) some distance. If that’s not feasible, contact the nearest orgs to ask how you can support their efforts from afar. Or, if you have the capacity, you could try to fill the org-desert in your area by organizing with your local friends and neighbors. Make sure you do so in a way that is healthy and compassionate; toxic leadership is harmful to the cause.
Do not let the administration’s narrative win. At every opportunity, assert what you know to be the truth. We all saw the video(s). If you haven’t, you should. Your insistence on the truth is imperative to pushing back on the regime’s battle against reality.
More on contacting your reps:
Get to know your state representatives. Make sure they’re included in your calling efforts. Is there more than can be doing to protect their constituents from ICE? Are they demonstrating your values? Call them out publicly for sycophantic behavior and let them know what you require from them as their constituent.
Don’t be discouraged if your reps don’t align with your views. They work for you. Especially if you’re a minority in your area, be loud. They must hear your voice. It isn’t pointless, or a waste. Your voice counts, no matter where you live or who your neighbors are.
Start or join campaigns to contact them simultaneously and regularly. All it takes is a small group of people (as few as two!) working together and welcoming others into the fray. It’s another opportunity to build community and concentrate our resistance.
Additional Events and Resources
You may find some ICE Out For Good events in your area today. Here in Central IL there are events in Marshall, Decatur, Urbana, and Bloomington.
Join this call on the 13th about a national walk-out being planned by Women’s March on the 20th.
Consider pledging to strike with GeneralStrikeUS when we reach the critical 3.5% threshold for revolution. There are many more pledges needed.
Track ongoing national boycotts here. You can also start or join your own boycotts closer to home! Don’t wait for national efforts; join or lead local ones, too!
WeResistNow provides ideas and some resources for ways to resist in our every-day personal and professional lives.
See you in the resistance,
Brandi MV