This Week’s Actions
Action 1: Demand Congressional accountability for ICE abuses.
Thank you to the 692 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Contact: Your two senators (call, write, or email).
Script: Hello, I’m ______ from [ZIP], and I object to Congress using taxpayer dollars to fund violence, discrimination, and unconstitutional actions. I urge you to take immediate action to stop the abuses by ICE and federal immigration agents including the use of deadly force, armed raids, unlawful detention, and racially discriminatory visa policies. I urge you to:
- Conduct a full investigation into ICE’s use of force and civil rights violations
- Block any funding for ICE until accountability and oversight are enforced
- Honor current refugees’ documentation and provide a path to residency
- Support legislation, including the Bivens Act (H.R. 6091/S. 3187), that would allow people to hold federal agents accountable in court.
Source: AoCC, Common Cause, Detention Watch Network, Stop AAPI Hate, Brennan Center, Global Refuge
Action 2: Demand that Congress conduct a full investigation of ICE agents’ use of deadly force.
Thank you to the 417 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Contact: Your two senators and one House representative (call, write, or email).
Script: Hello, I’m ______ from [ZIP], and I feel [emotion] that an ICE agent killed Renee Nicole Good, and the administration is refusing to investigate. Immigration officers have killed at least four people in the past five months, fired upon others, including legal observers, and held parents and children at gunpoint. I demand that you hold agents accountable for their pattern of violence and refuse to allow our tax dollars to fund this abuse.
Source: Common Cause
Action 3: Demand that Congress block ICE funding.
Thank you to the 412 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Contact: Your two senators and one House representative (call, write, or email).
Script: Hello, I’m ______ from [ZIP], expressing my outrage over the escalating human rights abuses in Minneapolis with immigrant communities bearing the brunt of the administration’s cruel policies. The administration sent 2,000 federal agents to Minneapolis to carry out “the largest immigration operation ever,” in a cruel, unnecessary, and destabilizing show of force. Congress must reject any further ICE funding and demand full accountability for those who ordered and committed these abuses.
Source: Detention Watch Network
Action 4: Advocate for refugees seeking permanent residency.
Thank you to the 294 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Refugees admitted to the U.S. undergo rigorous background checks. However, the administration ordered the review and potential re-interview of refugees already admitted under the previous administration. The administration’s Operation PARRIS continues to arrest and detain resettled refugees in Minnesota at an unprecedented and escalating rate. These re-vetting efforts subject refugee communities to trauma, uncertainty, and fear of forced return to the very situations they waited years to escape.
Sign Global Refuge’s letter urging Congress to keep refugee status intact and ensure refugees can reach permanency here: https://globalrefuge.quorum.us/campaign/uscismemo/
Source: Global Refuge
Action 5: Hold federal agents accountable for their unconstitutional acts.
Thank you to the 217 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Contact: Your two senators and your one House representative (call, write, or email).
Script: Hello, I’m ______ from [ZIP], urging you to cosponsor and pass the Bivens Act (H.R. 6091/S. 3187), which would allow affected people to sue federal agents in civil court for violating their constitutional rights. CBP and ICE agents should face legal consequences for illegally detaining, torturing, and killing people. Please cosponsor and pass this crucial bill. Thank you.
Source: Brennan Center
Action 6: Learn your rights and protect yourself and your neighbors from ICE.
Thank you to the 102 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
As ICE raids escalate, with increasing numbers of violent detentions and human rights violations, it’s more important than ever to learn your rights. Everyone—regardless of immigration status—has rights in this country. Visit the ILRC Know Your Rights page to learn how best to defend your rights when confronted by ICE or when advocating for others. Also check out the Native American Rights Fund resources for non-profits approached by ICE.
Practice: With family, friends, and colleagues, role play asserting your rights so you’ll be ready when you encounter ICE.
Bonus action: Print out a solidarity sign for your home or place of business.
Action 7: Get ready for your state’s primary election.
Thank you to the 176 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Nothing is certain. Ensure that you and your neighbors are ready to vote in your state’s primary election.
- Confirm that your voter registration is still valid (or register to vote for the first time by your state’s deadline).
- Update your address or re-register if you’ve recently moved.
- Make a plan to vote by mail or in person, whether early or on Election Day. If you plan to vote by mail, check your state’s ballot return deadline.
- Find out who and what is on your ballot.
- Ask two friends to register to vote or to verify their registrations. Studies show that people are more likely to vote if they are encouraged by someone they know.
Source: 1-866-OUR-VOTE
Action 8: Oppose racist immigrant visa freeze.
Thank you to the 184 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Contact: Your two senators (call, write, or email).
Script: Hello, I’m ______ from [ZIP], and I’m opposed to the Trump administration’s decision to suspend visa processing for applicants from 75 countries where people are overwhelmingly brown and Black. This discriminatory action is being falsely justified as removing a risk to the public. It will disrupt lives unnecessarily since the visa process already requires proof that applicants don’t require public assistance. Please oppose this freeze and restore just and effective visa processing immediately.
Alternate: Use the Stop AAPI Hate letter to oppose this freeze. Uncheck the box to receive email updates.
Source: Stop AAPI Hate
Action 9: Elect the president by popular vote.
Thank you to the 239 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Four times in U.S. history (including twice since 2000), the candidate who received the most votes didn’t win the presidency. Although Congress passed much-needed legislation in 2022 to clarify the process of appointing electors and certifying their votes, the Electoral College still fails to represent voters in every state. The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC) would guarantee that the candidate who wins the popular vote would be elected.
Take Action: Sign and send an email to your state legislators using National Popular Vote’s quick and easy form, which creates a fully editable message, pre-tailored to whether your state has or has not adopted the NPVIC.
Action 10: Preserve gender-affirming care for youth by Feb. 17.
Thank you to the 68 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
HHS is proposing two rules that would limit gender-affirming care for people under 18, making lifesaving care that is extremely difficult or impossible to access in most states. A proposed CoPs rule would prohibit most Medicare- and Medicaid-enrolled hospitals from providing specified gender-affirming medical care for people under 18, and a second proposed Medicaid rule would bar federal Medicaid or CHIP funds from covering these services.
Submit comments: To oppose these new rules, use this toolkit to help you draft unique comments about why this matters to you. Comment on both the Federal Register for the CoPs rule (open) and the Medicaid rule (open) and then click the green box labeled “Submit a public comment”.
Source: Center of Budget and Policy Priorities and Center for American Progress
Action 11: Defend voters from intimidation and disinformation.
Thank you to the 127 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Contact: Your two senators and your one House representative (call, write, or email).
Script: Hello, I’m ______ from [ZIP], asking you to cosponsor and pass the Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation Prevention Act of 2025 (H.R. 4894/S. 2912). This bill will make it a crime to knowingly deceive or intimidate voters, including the use of AI to do so. It would also require post-election reports on the number of complaints received. Please cosponsor and pass this important bill. Thank you.
Source: Brennan Center
Action 12: Demand that Congress enact permanent protections for Dreamers.
Thank you to the 113 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Contact: Your two senators (call, write, or email).
Script: Hello, I’m ______ from [ZIP], expressing my support for the Dream Act of 2025 (S.3348) and the American Dream and Promise Act of 2025 (H.R. 1589). Since its creation, DACA has protected over 830,000 people who are contributing members of our communities, but under this administration, DACA has come under threat. Dream Act of 2025 proposals would allow nearly 525,000 DACA recipients and two million eligible Dreamers brought to the U.S. as children to stay here.
Source: United We Dream
Action 13: Uphold election integrity in your state.
Thank you to the 85 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
If you live in AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, MA, MI, MN, ND, NE, NM, NV, OH, RI, SC, SD, VT, WI, or WY: Your state will elect its Secretary of State in 2026. These officials will run your state’s 2028 presidential election, so it is crucial to elect candidates who are dedicated to free and fair elections, rather than election-deniers who may bring partisan politics into a nonpartisan role. Find out who is running to become your state’s chief election official at Ballotpedia.
If you live elsewhere, donate to Ballotpedia to fund their nonpartisan election research.
Source: AoCC
Action 14: Protect millions of acres of pristine National Forest habitat.
Thank you to the 152 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Postcard to: Secretary Brooke L. Rollins
U.S. Department of Agriculture
1400 Independence Ave., S.W.
Washington, DC 20250
Script: Hello, I’m ______ from [STATE] and concerned for the future of nearly 50 million acres of National Forest currently protected from logging and road building by the Roadless Rule. Rescinding this rule would endanger cherished recreational areas, threaten critical drinking water sources, increase the risk of wildfire, and endanger irreplaceable habitat for countless species. I urge you to protect our natural heritage by reversing plans to repeal the Roadless Rule.
Alternate: Use the NRDC letter to oppose repeal of the Roadless Rule. You will be automatically signed up to receive updates.
Source: NRDC
Action 15: Strengthen democracy through informed civic engagement.
Thank you to the 26 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Democracy weakens when abuse of power is normalized and people disengage. Today, federal agencies face limited oversight, immigrant communities are being harmed, and elections are under strain. Democracy gets stronger when people stay informed, speak honestly about what’s happening, and apply public pressure. We don’t need to agree on everything, but clarity, courage, and communicating across differences is how democracy can work better.
Take action: Build these skills in community through groups like Braver Angels, Crossing Party Lines, Make America Dinner Again, or Reunited States of America.
Source: AoCC
Action 16: Take credit for showing up in your own community.
Thank you to the 156 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
It’s our hope that using the Checklist inspires you to become more involved in specific issues and/or local action. In the last two weeks, did you volunteer, do service, advocate, or support a local or state cause? Check the box to let us know!
Source: AoCC
Acts of Gratitude
We believe in gratitude as a tool for change. We will print a letter of thanks from Americans of Conscience with your signature and mail it to the recipient. Your information will be removed from this website no later than four weeks after the Checklist’s publication date.
Thank Rep. Robin Kelly (D–IL) for filing articles of impeachment against the Homeland Security secretary for self-dealing, obstruction of Congress, and violation of public trust.
If you’d like to mail your own personal expression of gratitude, use this address: 1642 E. 56th St., Suite 110, Chicago, IL 60637
Thank you to the 251 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Thank Gen. Stanley McChrystal for presiding over the retirement ceremony of Lt. Col. Erin Krizek, Commander Blake Dremann, Sergeant First Class Catherine Schmid, Col. Bree Fram, and Chief Petty Officer Jaida McGuire, all of whom were forced out of service by the presidential administration’s discriminatory anti-transgender policies.
If you’d like to mail your own personal expression of gratitude, use this address: McChrystal Group, Attn: Gen. Stanley McChrystal, 333 N Fairfax St., Suite 100, Alexandria, VA 22314
Thank you to the 179 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Good News
If you find good news for democracy, equality, and the planet, share it with us here!
Good news: Wins for democracy, equality, kindness, and planet.
- Following pushback from the Mvskoke community, the Muscogee (Creek) Nation National Council votes against establishing a Technology and Innovation Park on an area integral to Tribal food sovereignty.
- Rep. Robin Kelly (D–IL) files articles of impeachment against the Homeland Security Secretary due to her unlawful, unconstitutional, and cruel policies.
- A federal court in Rhode Island temporarily blocks the presidential administration from implementing unlawful and unreasonable restrictions that seek to divert funding away from permanent housing projects—an effective solution for supporting unhoused people.
- Following swift backlash from care providers, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration restores $2B in federal grant money for mental health and addiction programs across the U.S.
- The Dept. of Education backtracks on a proposed plan to garnish wages, seize tax refunds, and collect other benefits from student loan borrowers in default on their payments.
- A U.S. district court orders the Dept. of Energy to restore nearly $28M in environmental project grants, finding that withholding funding from states that Kamala Harris won in the 2024 election violated the Fifth Amendment’s discrimination protections.
- A federal magistrate court rules that the administration violated the Administrative Procedure Act in its attempt to withhold FEMA funding from states.
- A federal court in New York temporarily blocks the administration from detaining the five European researchers of online hate and disinformation for supposedly censoring views the administration disagrees with.
- Following a ruling by a federal court, the Institute of Museum & Library Services restores all previously canceled federal grants to libraries across the country.
- In the face of fear and uncertainty caused by ICE’s presence and actions, Minneapolis residents deliver donated groceries, keep tabs on ICE activity, and organize support for their at-risk neighbors.
- 42 faith leaders chain themselves to the doors of a San Francisco immigration court to prevent ICE from making unjust arrests inside.
- The Native American Rights Fund shares know-your-rights information with clear, practical guidance for individuals and Native-serving nonprofits on what to do if approached by ICE.
- Residents of The Villages, FL gather to protest ICE’s unlawful actions in Minneapolis as well as the president’s outlandish foreign policies regarding Venezuela and Greenland.
- Hundreds of counter-protesters in Minneapolis drown out an attempted openly racist, pro-ICE rally.
- Dulce Consuelo Diaz Morales leaves immigration detention after being unlawfully held for 25 days.
- GA: A federal court strikes down a portion of a state law banning gender-affirming treatment for people in prison, finding that a blanket ban on hormone therapy violated the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment.
- IN’s Court of Appeals blocks the state health department from publishing patients’ abortion records, ruling that such reports violate medical confidentiality laws.
- NY: Due in part to a record $3B investment in public safety, gun violence across 28 communities has decreased by 60 percent since 2021.
- NY designates January as Muslim American Heritage Month, recognizing the contributions Muslim Americans have made to society in the arts, sciences, mathematics, technology, literature, music, medicine, and philosophy.
- A coalition of 19 state attorneys general sues the administration over proposed rules that would block children’s access to gender-affirming healthcare.
- 16 states and Washington, DC sue the administration over the unlawful withholding of more than $2B in funding for electric vehicle charging programs.
- A federal court schedules a hearing to determine whether the prosecution in Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s case is vindictively targeting him.
- Following protests and consumer boycotts, Avelo Airlines will stop carrying out deportation flights.
- Despite the administration’s moves to block renewable energy, clean energy sources continue to make gains in the U.S.
- The European Parliament votes in favor of a fund to expand access to abortion across the European Union.
- Epidemiologists Dr. Katelyn Jetelina and Hannah Totte share 20 positive public health developments from 2025.
- Construction on North America’s largest wildlife overpass is finally complete and is expected to reduce wildlife-vehicle crashes by 90 percent.
- Engineer Michaela Benthaus visits the edge of outer space, becoming the first wheelchair-using astronaut.
Need inspiration?
- Read this week’s message by AoCC team member Marissa Bracke: Joy as Resistance: How We Stay Engaged Without Burning Out
- The Day the Phones Changed History
- Amy’s Story: How One Citizen’s Efforts Kept Local Democracy Alive, by Julie Mathison
Support democratic engagement and advance equality
The Checklist has been running since 2016, thanks to the support of our donors and patrons. We avoid conflicts of interest by not selling ad space. That means we need you. Consider supporting our work to advance democracy and equality with a one-time or monthly donation.
Want to accomplish more?
AoCC offers several classes to support and sustain your engagement in social justice and pro-democracy work. Change can be slow. To stay encouraged, learn more here.
If you’re new to the Americans of Conscience Checklist, welcome!
Sign up to receive the Checklist by email
every other week.
The Americans of Conscience Checklist features clear, well-researched actions for Americans who value democracy, equality, voting, and decency. We are a big tent for all people who want a kinder, flourishing nation.