Kidnapping. Killing. Keeping People in Cages. Funding War Instead of Life.
Together, we can reject ICE violence and endless war—and build a future rooted in justice, accountability, healthcare, housing and investment in people.
Trump’s Government Is Funding Violence Instead of Human Needs
Friends,
Donald Trump and his Republican allies in Congress are building an out-of-control government that unleashes violence in our neighborhoods, fuels war abroad, and forces Americans to foot the bill.
On July 13, an ICE agent shot and killed 25-year-old Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero in Biddeford, Maine, near the apartment he shared with his partner and 3-year-old daughter.1
Johan was not the person ICE was looking for.
No body-camera footage of the shooting has been released. DHS quickly claimed the officer feared for public safety and that Johan’s vehicle was used as a weapon—but the government has not publicly produced evidence proving that killing him was necessary.
Six days earlier, ICE agents shot and killed 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado Araujo while he drove his brother and coworkers to a construction job in Houston.
Lorenzo was also not the person ICE was seeking.
He had lived in the United States for approximately 35 years, raised three children, and had no known criminal record. The passengers who witnessed his death dispute DHS’s account, yet ICE detained them and placed them at risk of deportation.2 A federal judge had to block the deportation of one key witness.3
This is Trump’s mass-deportation machine:
Kidnapping our neighbors. Killing fathers. Keeping human beings in cages.
It is masked agents terrorizing communities, workers disappearing on their way to job sites, and children watching the government destroy their families.
It is also more than 20,000 unaccompanied immigrant children facing immigration court without lawyers after the administration cut legal-aid funding.4
That is not due process. It is cruelty engineered to accelerate deportations.
America, we deserve better. Here is what we need for our communities:
Immediate Transparency—No More Disappearing the Witnesses
DHS must release the key witnesses to Lorenzo’s killing immediately and stop every effort to deport them. The agency accused of taking a man’s life cannot be allowed to lock up, intimidate, or remove the people who saw what happened. Witnesses belong in the investigation—not in detention or on a deportation flight.
Independent Investigations—Not ICE Investigating Itself
The killings of Lorenzo and Johan demand full, public, and independent investigations. Every agency must turn over evidence, preserve records and cooperate without delay. Witnesses must be protected, the facts must be exposed, and every officer responsible for misconduct must face real consequences. A badge cannot become a shield from accountability.
ICE Out—Our Communities Are Not Hunting Grounds
State and local governments must stop handing ICE our money, personnel, surveillance and intelligence. Cities and states must end cooperation agreements and refuse to help fuel federal raids, detention and deportation. DHS must pull ICE agents off our streets. Our neighborhoods deserve safety—not masked agents, terror and unchecked violence.
Trump and his Republican allies are pouring billions into enforcement and detention while refusing to build the fair, efficient immigration system our communities actually need.
But where is the matching investment in justice?
Where are the judges? Where are the attorneys? Where are the translators, asylum officers, legal orientation programs, case managers, court staff, and work authorization processors needed to make the system actually function?
Here is the danger hiding in plain sight: when government refuses to process people fairly, detention becomes the pressure point. It becomes the punishment. It becomes the threat. It becomes the money machine.
Right now, the U.S. immigration court system is buckling.
This is why we cannot accept the false choice between safe borders and human dignity.
We can and must have both.
A real immigration reform agenda would secure the U.S. border while reducing the number of immigration detention beds. It would reform the legal immigration system to meet U.S. needs better. It would invest in enhanced security and technology at ports of entry to help stop the smuggling of illegal weapons and narcotics, including fentanyl. It would address the root causes of migration from South and Central America through diplomacy and humanitarian aid. It would permanently protect DACA and Dreamers.
It would increase funding to process immigration applications and work authorization applications more efficiently. It would expand case management programs that help undocumented immigrants and their families understand and meet their immigration court obligations. It would hire 1,600 new asylum officers and processing personnel to improve the efficiency of the asylum system. It would hire 375 new immigration judges to help move cases through the courts. It would eliminate the six-month waiting period before asylum seekers can apply for work authorization so people can support themselves, contribute, and live with dignity while their cases are pending.
That is not radical.
That is responsible.
Congress must also force a vote on H.R. 1589, the American Dream and Promise Act, which would provide permanent protections and pathways to citizenship for eligible Dreamers, DACA recipients, TPS holders and DED beneficiaries.5
Immigrant families deserve safety and citizenship—not permanent fear of detention, deportation or death.
The War Machine Is Consuming Lives and Public Money
While families struggle to afford food, rent, healthcare and childcare, the House passed a $1.15 trillion military policy bill by a vote of 216–212.6
The bill pours more money into the Pentagon, advances provisions tied to the SAVE America Act, and deepens U.S.–Israeli military technology and weapons cooperation.7
Meanwhile, at least 18 American service members have been killed, hundreds have been wounded, and thousands of Iranians have reportedly been killed in an unauthorized war with no credible exit plan.8
This is not national security. It is national neglect.
Congress is considering another $73 billion for war and intelligence operations. According to the National Priorities Project9, that same money could provide:
Free universal preschool for 3- and 4-year-olds.
Restored SNAP benefits for four million people.
Housing assistance for everyone living in a homeless shelter.
Double the EPA’s funding to protect clean air and water.
We could do all four—or keep feeding the war machine.
Friendly reminder: The Pentagon has also failed eight consecutive department-wide audits.10 Yet Congress keeps rewarding financial failure with larger budgets and fewer consequences.
That is not responsible government. It is a blank check for weapons contractors.
Congress is choosing deportation raids over due process, military contractors over working families, cages over care and bombs over benefits.
We choose people.
Justice for Lorenzo.
Justice for Johan.
Citizenship and safety for immigrant families.
Healthcare, housing, food, education and clean water—not endless warfare.
Take Action
🗽Tell your Member of Congress: Support the Slash the Pentagon Act
🗽 Tell Congress to reject massive Pentagon spending increases and protect human needs.
Call your Senators (202) 224-3121 and tell them:
No increases for an out-of-control war budget.
No merging the military bill with the SAVE America Act and no on the SAVE Act
No blank check for deeper U.S.–Israeli military and intelligence integration.
Join Justice for Lorenzo. Justice for Johan. Justice for All: ICE Out Day of Action on July 25. Find an ICE Out event near you.
Our money should sustain life—not bankroll state violence. Our government must answer to the people—not deportation agents, weapons corporations, or the war machine.
Thanks for taking action!
Why the Grassroots Resistance Can’t Wait
People Power United members believe change is possible because we have seen ordinary people rise, organize, and be a force for progress. Real change does not come from waiting politely, staying quiet, or hoping those in power suddenly grow a conscience. It comes when people speak out, show up, and demand action—because our communities and families cannot wait, and every moment we delay gives injustice more room to tighten its grip on our communities.
Together, we can defend our rights, freedoms, the rule of law, and democracy, hold leaders accountable to the people’s will, and inspire voters to make a meaningful difference.
People Power United is independent, people-powered news and grassroot movement actions dedicated to defending our rights, freedoms, the rule of law, and democracy. This is our moment to rise, resist, and reclaim our democracy. Millions of Americans and people who call America home are already rising up in the streets, at the ballot box, and in their communities.
People Power United champions freedom over fascism, progress over fear, and power to the people. We believe change is possible, and we do the work to make it happen. Join us to build people power.
Laurie Woodward Garcia
(paid with hugs and kisses, not bought by special interests)
Leader, People Power United
People Power United | In this community, we speak out, show up, and build power against racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, antisemitism, homophobia, misogyny, sexism, ageism, ableism, sizeism, elitism, transphobia, misogynoir, and bigotry.
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https://apnews.com/article/ice-shooting-maine-immigration-dhs-f26f8c2256aa6f0748582ea4adbb515c
https://apnews.com/article/mexican-ice-shooting-salgado-killed-houston-d608b1f553dd139015843c5e710f9998
https://apnews.com/article/ice-shooting-houston-lorenzo-araujo-salgado-93aa1fdf11e89422027d8b9c963a9b64
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/22/immigrant-children-trump-cuts
https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/BILLS-119hr1589ih
https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/us-house-passes-1-trillion-defense-bill-despite-iran-israel-concerns-2026-07-22/
https://theintercept.com/2026/07/22/ndaa-defense-bill-pentagon-israel-massie/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/07/20/17-us-service-members-have-been-killed-during-iran-war-heres-where/
https://www.nationalpriorities.org/analysis/2026/what-could-we-do-instead-spending-another-73-billion-war/
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/pentagon-fails-eighth-audit-targets-2028-pass-pentagon-says-2025-12-19/