Brunswick Area Indivisible Newsletter #16
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"We are a grassroots organization of concerned residents of Brunswick, Topsham and Harpswell” Newsletter for January 25, 2026 Brunswick Area Indivisible Action Calendar: Recurring Events (Brunswick) Tuesdays, 5:30 pm Brunswick Maine Street Route 1 Overpass Rally - Bring your signs and flags. Wednesdays, 12:30 pm Brunswick Town Mall Cosplay protest. Meet at the Gazebo- costumes optional Saturdays, 11:00 am to noon ICE OUT! Brunswick, Maine St at Rt 1 Overpass. Bring banners, signs. Mark your calendar: BAI general meeting (first Wednesday of each month), February 4 from 6:30 to 8:00pm. Come as early as 6:00pm to socialize. Brunswick United Methodist Church, 320 Church Road, Brunswick. Speaker to be announced. BAI Book Discussion Group: Autocracy Inc. by Anne Applebaum. Monday, Feb. 23 from 4:00 to 5:15pm The Highlands Community Room, Topsham Public Library (details in Newsletter #15 or on our archive page. For More actions and events, visit Activate Maine ICE is a rogue agencyA memo from Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons was leaked to the U.S. Senate in the last few days. The evidence shows that DHS has authorized and even trained ICE agents to enter homes without consent or a judicial warrant, in violation of the Fourth Amendment. Read the account at WhistleblowerAid.org. Constant pressure is needed. Contact both Susan Collins and Angus King, your calls matter. They need to know that we see what is happening, we will speak up, and we hold them responsible to call out this flagrant violation of the Constitution. Angus King, email contact form, office locations and phone numbers:https://www.king.senate.gov/contact-home Susan Collins, email contact form, office locations and phone numbers:https://www.collins.senate.gov/contact ICE is in MaineOfficial sources confirm expanded ICE and Border Patrol operations in Maine. With their usual sick genius for insulting names, Homeland Security has dubbed the operation “Catch of the Day.” The offensive is not limited to Lewiston, Portland and Bangor; it's also happening in Westbrook, Biddeford and Saco. No ICE for ME hosted a call to share information from groups preparing for expanded immigration enforcement. Over 1500 people participated in the call. Highlights of the call and potential action items include: Immediate Actions for opposing ICE
Direct Support
You can also find information on legal support and how immigrants can best prepare for ICE from ACLU of Maine, Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project (ILAP) and the Refugee and Human Rights Clinic at the University of Maine School of Law. If you see ICE/Border Patrol activity
UPDATE: Cumberland County Jail contract with ICE. 1/23/26: Maine Public reported that ICE abruptly removed detainees held at Cumberland County Jail. The detainees had apparently been held there since before the current ICE surge. On 1/24/26 the Portland Press Herald reported that DHS canceled its contract with the county, apparently in response to condemnation by Sheriff Kevin Joyce. Walkout in Brunswick drew a crowd:The Women's March and 50501 organized a national Free America Walkout on Tuesday, Jan. 20 at 2:00 pm. BAI Action Working Group organizers led a rally and walk along Maine Street that was attended by an estimated 150 people. Thanks to a BAI member for this gift article from the Portland Press Herald. On Friday, a general strike organized by faith leaders in Minnesota brought tens of thousands into the frigid streets of Minneapolis. Across the country, more than 300 rallies were held that day in support. Other actions of this type are upcoming. To stay informed, check the Free America website. Card Campaign:Saving Democracy One Card at a Time. Does writing post cards as an act of resistance appeal to you? Here’s a site that makes it easy to print unique postcards at home. Add your message and mail them to members of Congress or your state representatives. Craftivism: Activism that’s Crafty!Susan Farrar Talks With Us about Her Postcard Resistance: I got the idea to make postcards from the 'Ides of Trump' campaign (mobilize.us/indivisible/event/762924), which encouraged participants to express their displeasure toward the president by flooding the White House mail room with postcards. It was fun and cathartic. And I discovered that I liked working with the postcard format. It’s versatile, accommodating both text and illustrations. Messages can be serious or snarky, subtle or obvious. And because it’s old-school - handwritten and hand-painted - I think it stands out from digital media, drawing the reader’s attention. The first postcards were meant to be mailed to elected representatives. Most postcards started with a provocation - something I heard or read or saw. Take Trump’s post after the death of Rob Reiner and his wife, for example. I thought voters, particularly Trump voters, needed to know this latest vile thing he’d said. I found a lovely post that Reiner had written after the death of Charlie Kirk that was the perfect contrast to Trump’s post about Reiner. Some postcards write themselves. For me, my postcards offer an alternative to despair, a way to channel my outrage (with art supplies!). And while I’d be thrilled if even one voter were persuaded, the impulse behind them is more like that expressed on a protest sign I saw in Portland: 'I WANT MY SIGN TO SAVE THE WORLD'. That’s how I feel about my postcards - I want them to save the world. Potential Impact of Supreme Court Decisions on Voting Rights Prior to Mid-Term ElectionsThe Supreme Court is in the midst of its 2025-2026 term. Legal experts believe it could be the most consequential for voting rights/suppression in a generation. Several cases on the docket have the potential to fundamentally alter how districts are drawn how mail-in ballots are processed, and who has the right to sue over voting rights violations. The following decisions are expected prior to the Mid-Term elections. 1. Louisiana v. Callais will determine whether Louisiana’s creation of a second majority-minority congressional district constitutes unconstitutional racial gerrymandering under the 14th Amendment. A ruling against the district would mean that a voting law would only be illegal if it was proven to be intentionally discriminatory, rather than just having a discriminatory effect. It could lead to the elimination of many majority-minority districts across the south. 2. Bost v. Illinois State Board of Elections decided on January 16, 2026 changed the rules for who can bring election-related lawsuits to federal court. This will open the door for a wave of candidate-led litigation before and after elections. Candidates can now challenge state-level procedures like mail-in ballot deadlines much more easily in federal court. They can argue that the integrity of the election is enough of a personal interest to justify a lawsuit. 3. Watson V. Republican National Committee focuses on the Election Day statute and the validity of mail-in voting. The issue is does the federal law prohibit states from counting mail-in ballots that arrive after the election day, even if it was postmarked on that day. Currently 16 states allow a grace period for mail-in ballots. If the court determines the ballots must be received by Election Day, tens of thousands of legitimate votes, including those from military and overseas voters could be disqualified in future cycles. In summary we are looking at the possibility of redistricting of minority districts, litigation of elections and restricting voter access. All of which results in voter suppression and the possibility of changing election results. The current Supreme Court has already approved Bost v Illinois and will most likely rule in favor of voter suppression in the other two cases. Stay Informed: The League of Women Voters is a century-old, non-partisan voting rights organization and information clearinghouse on voting law and process. Follow League of Women Voters Maine and join in the organization's advocacy work. Monks walk for peaceAt a time when chaos and violence reign in the USA creating darkness and despair, a group of Buddhist monks on a march for peace is lighting the way. Their 120 day, 2300 mile journey began in Texas on October 26th, and will end in Washington DC in February 2026. Their purpose is to promote peace, compassion and unity. Their pilgrimage has had some obstacles to be sure. One monk was accidentally hit by a car and had to have a leg amputated. He stated ‘the loss was a sacrifice for peace’. Their dog, Aloka, which means “divine light”, had a knee injury which required surgery, but he will be rejoining the walk soon as his recovery allows. The monks are a most welcome sight. In every town and city they trek through, they have attracted throngs of well-wishers who are invited to walk with them and gather for peace events sharing messages of compassion. They wake at 4 a.m. and cover roughly 30 miles per day and sleep in tents or sometimes temples, churches, and even high schools along the route. For sustenance they rely on vegan donations from supporters to be consumed once a day before noon and perhaps tea later in the day. Flowers handed to them are passed on so others can share the gifts. Let us all hope the monks’ arrival in D.C. is met with grace and reverence. They are demonstrating to the world what is needed the most right now: peace, love and understanding. Wikipedia maintains a page on the walk and its progress. -Brunswick Area Indivisible As always, if you have an upcoming action, article, legislative issue or story that you want to go out on the Brunswick Area Indivisible email list, send it to communications.bai.me@gmail.com Have you missed a newsletter, want to look back, or want to share a past issue? The most recent 6+ newsletters can be found on the BAI Posts page. |