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News from the Chair September 2025 NewsletterMost of you know from my previous newsletters that I’m deeply connected to Minnesota. Minneapolis was our family home for over 20 years; my wife grew up there, and my son lives there still with his family. What has happened in my beloved city since Kristi Noem sent in her masked thugs is unspeakable. I have struggled, as I’m sure many of you have, cycling between rage and unbearable grief as I watch the increasing violence and destruction of families. The utter betrayal by our federal government, in the name of retribution and subjugation, is almost too much to bear.
What uplifts me, what gives me hope, is the response of Minnesotans. If I had the words to write a love letter to the people of Minneapolis, I would. They are remarkable. Despite the extra judicial murders by ICE, the kidnapping of children, the gassing of families, and daily violence inflicted on an entire community, they remain as protectors. They have a clear-eyed understanding of the danger, and they know what has to be done. Those of you who have spent time in Minnesota know that culture well. Perhaps it’s a vestigial character trait born from living in that weather. I don’t know, but I will be eternally grateful for it. What can we do from Portugal? We’re so far away….. As I See It
I’m here to give you some tools. First among them is do not look away, and do not assume that someone else will do what’s needed, or even define what’s needed. The time for that is gone, and silence is no longer an option. Second, we have an extraordinary opportunity today and tomorrow - to contact our Senators like our lives depend on it. The DHS spending bill is on the floor of the Senate today. They will decide if ICE gets another $10B and free reign to terrorize as many blue cities as they want, using whatever tactics they want. We can pressure our senators to stop it. Take Action Now 📞 Call your members of Congress today. Demand that they block DHS funding unless ICE is fully defunded. U.S. Capitol Switchboard: +1 (202) 224-3121 (Tips on calling the U.S. from abroad.) Call Script Hello, my name is [YOUR NAME], and I’m a constituent voting in [CITY/STATE]. I’m calling to urge [NAME] to oppose any DHS funding bill or CR that includes funding for ICE. Please stand with your constituents and protect us from this out of control agency operating outside the law. Congress must stop funding ICE and block DHS appropriations that enable this harm. [Consider adding a personal account or recent example of an ICE atrocity here]. Thank you. (Leave your full voting address if leaving a voicemail.) Contact Democrats, share your thanks if they are committing to vote no on this bill without serious changes, tell them Noem must resign, and Bovino must be fired, and pressure them to stand strong for negotiations. Contact Republicans because that facade is cracking and cracking hard (the Republican challenger for MN Governor just bowed out of the race, saying he no longer recognizes his own party). They could end this tomorrow if they wanted to. __________________________________________ Next, we can support the brave people of Minneapolis. This page has a comprehensive list of Minnesota agencies, small neighborhood funds, and non-profits that are all delivering direct aid to the protectors of Minnesota. Let’s show them some love from Portugal. After that, be sure you have re-registered to vote; no matter if you think you don’t need to, it’s a good idea to do it every year. Voter rolls get purged, and we all know that the feds are gunning to remove our voting rights. Don’t let it happen. Request all of your 2026 absentee ballots in one fell swoop by filling out your Federal Post Card Application at Vote From Abroad today. It takes 5 minutes, and it’s easy - and it gives your vote from abroad federal protections. No matter how bad it appears in the United States this is one thing we all need to do to fight back.
JOIN.And finally, we can take a page from the book of Minneapolis and form strong, local communities here. Take a moment to fill out this survey to volunteer or to learn more about localized Hubs in your area. So far, we have developed Hubs in Lisbon, Porto, Cascais, and the Algarve. New hubs are forming in Braga, on the Silver Coast, and in Minho. Join us to build up our communities. We can do this. We can put the brakes on the unchecked power of Kristi Noem and ICE. We can help our fellow Americans stand up against fascism. Until next time. Lynnette Shaw DA Portugal |
