Impact Docket – 1/28/2026
This week demands action. Here are six ways you can push back right now:
Stop DHS violence → Tell Congress NO new funding for ICE/Border Patrol and to implement guardrails on deportation enforcement (2 min)
Provide Legal Support in ICE detention → Volunteer for remote or in-person intakes, bond hearings, habeas petitions through our Detention Bridge Project (training provided, all levels)
Help asylum seekers get work permits → Immigration attorneys: review applications at NYC clinics (Mar 9–12) or remote (Mar 31, Apr 22)
Defend trans health care access → Watch our recorded training and submit a public comment on CMS Medicaid rules (2–3 hrs, deadline Feb 17)
Support reproductive justice & health equity → Share or apply for L4GG’s law student internship with the Civil Rights & Health Equity team
Help us build legal rapid response power → Complete our pro bono survey to mobilize lawyers in future crises (5 min)
Whether you have 2 minutes or 2 days, join the fight. Keep reading for more context.
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🔴 The Moment We’re In: They Lied. The Videos Don't.
This weekend, Border Patrol agents killed Alex Pretti—a 37-year-old VA nurse and U.S. citizen with no criminal record—after he tried to help a woman who'd been shoved to the ground. They shot him ten times in five seconds. Within hours, DHS Secretary Noem called him a "domestic terrorist." Stephen Miller called him a "would-be assassin."
The videos show something else entirely: a man holding a phone, not a weapon. A man trying to help immigrants who his government was brutalizing.
But something is shifting. Over 50k Minnesotans marched in -20°F weather. 700 businesses shut down. 100 clergy were arrested at the airport. Protests spread to cities nationwide.
Moreover, both Republicans and Democrats are calling for investigations. Federal prosecutors have resigned rather than cover for these killings. Senate Democrats are blocking DHS funding. Today, Pretti's killers were placed on leave and the Border Patrol commander was stripped of his title. The lies aren't landing the way they used to—because we all saw what happened.
This is the moment to push: to demand accountability while the pressure is real.
⚡ QUICK ACTIONS
🚨 Tell Congress: Stop Funding DHS Violence and Deportation Abuses
📍 L4GG.org/StopDHSViolence | 2 min
In cities across America, masked federal agents are carrying out violent, unaccountable operations that are brutalizing immigrants and killing innocent people, including U.S. citizens who are refusing to stand idly by.
This lawlessness is the direct result of Congress decisions to fund a massive deportation force. Last summer, Congress gave DHS nearly $200 billion through reconciliation - tripling ICE’s budget and supercharging enforcement with zero accountability. Now, the House just passed another $11 billion for ICE in annual appropriations, rewarding violence with more money instead of demanding reform. The Senate is the last line of defense.
Tell Senators: No new funding for ICE or Border Patrol. Implement real limits on enforcement, detention, and racialized raids now.
🛠️ LONG-TERM ENGAGEMENT
⚖️ Volunteer: Detention Bridge Project
📍 L4GG.org/DetentionBridge | Training provided, no experience required
People swept up by ICE are disappearing into detention centers thousands of miles from their families—most without a lawyer. L4GG's Detention Bridge Project is deploying legal support where the need is most acute: detention centers in Texas and elsewhere that are receiving people arrested in Minneapolis and other cities.
Right now, many transfers are going to Fort Bliss in El Paso—a facility holding 5,000 people in dangerous, overcrowded conditions. Reports include insufficient food and water, unsanitary facilities, and three deaths in recent months. The vast majority have no legal representation. Without a lawyer, they cannot challenge their detention or navigate proceedings often conducted in a language they don't speak.
We need lawyers now for remote and in-person intakes, bond hearings, habeas petitions, and impact litigation. All experience levels welcome—training provided. Sign up today!
📄 Volunteer Interest Form: Work Permit Legal Clinics
Asylum seekers need stability—and a work permit is a vital step toward rebuilding their lives. That's why L4GG is seeking experienced immigration attorneys to volunteer at upcoming clinics this spring.
In-Person (NYC): We're looking for attorneys to review draft work permit applications at clinics hosted at Manhattan law firms on March 9, 10, 11, and 12.
Remote (anywhere): Experienced immigration attorneys based anywhere in the U.S. can join our remote clinics on March 31 and April 22.
If you're an immigration attorney comfortable reviewing work permits and ready to make a meaningful difference, fill out our interest form!
🏥 Recorded Comment Training: Defend Trans Health Care Access
📍 L4GG.org/DefendTransCare | 2–3 hrs
The federal government has proposed CMS rules that would severely restrict access to gender-affirming care for transgender young people—particularly those who rely on Medicaid and CHIP. These proposals contradict medical consensus and reflect a dangerous political intrusion into private health decisions.
But they’re not final yet. A 60-day public comment period is now open—ending February 17, 2026—and your voice can help block these rules before they take effect.
Watch our recorded training to:
Understand what the rules say and who they affect
Learn why detailed comments are powerful tools
Get step-by-step help writing your own comment (est. 2-3 hours)
This opportunity is for lawyers, advocates, providers, and allies. No rulemaking experience needed—just a commitment to justice.
🎓 Spread the Word: Legal Internship on Repro Justice & Health Equity
L4GG’s Civil Rights & Health Equity team is seeking a part‑time law student intern to support research, writing, and advocacy on reproductive justice, bodily autonomy, and health equity.
Interns will assist with legal research, policy tracking, litigation monitoring, and advocacy materials—working closely with staff and partners in a fast‑moving, mission‑driven environment. This is a remote position, with a strong preference for availability during Central Time business hours. Apply or help us spread the word!
NOTE: While this is an unpaid position, our team is glad to support students seeking academic credit through their law school, when permitted.
📝 Help Us Build a Legal Rapid Response Network
📍 L4GG.org/Survey | 5 min
Is one of your New Year’s resolutions to do more pro bono work—to help vulnerable communities and use your legal skills for good? Help us build the next wave of pro bono power.
To continue fighting back effectively, we need a map of the lawyers in our network: your skills, interests, and availability. This survey takes just five minutes, but helps us mobilize immediately when the next crisis hits. Whether you can offer two hours or twenty, your answers will shape how we deploy legal resources in 2026.
NOTE: If you’ve already filled out this survey, you don’t need to refill it unless your interests or availability has changed!
We’ll be back in two weeks with more ways to take action—but the work doesn’t stop here.
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