It has been a long month since co-Presidents Trump and Musk took office. The flood of executive orders and chaos from wannabe dictators seems daunting. For many it is so overwhelming that it’s difficult to find a place to even start to resist. I think we should start anywhere. I have always believed that our struggles are inextricably linked. I was aware of the terrible conditions at the Batavia ICE detention center not far from where I live in Buffalo, N.Y. and the inhumane treatment of the people suffering there. I believe that migration is natural, borders are man-made barriers and people deserve to live where they are able to thrive. I know that the labor of migrants is critical to our local economy, and the contributions of my neighbors enrich my life in unquantifiable ways. If you haven’t already, I hope you’ll sign the Pledge Of Noncooperation with Mass Deportation. Knowing the multiple challenges and injustices that immigrants, refugees, and asylum-seekers face, I was still flabbergasted to learn that here in the great state of New York, a 2-year-old had to defend themselves in deportation hearings against a trained attorney. Our immigration system is nearly impossible to navigate without counsel, and legal assistance should not depend upon the ability to afford it. That’s why when I received an email from the New York Immigration Coalition to attend a lobby day in Albany in support of CARE For Immigrant Families, I thought, “Why not?” So, on a frigid morning I rolled out of bed at 4 a.m. to meet my travel mates. We packed ourselves into vans and drove four hours to plead with legislators in the state capital to advocate for budget allocations for legal services and tuition assistance for immigrants, among other things. Most visits were just lukewarm – we met with a staffer and left behind information. Some of my favorite representatives held a rally and press conference outside of the Senate chambers that gave me hope; many of them were immigrants or first-generation Americans themselves. For a brief moment while we chanted in unison in English and then in Spanish, I felt community. The deafening chaos that had crippled my spirit for the past few weeks went away and I felt like once again, together we can build the world we deserve.  | 
