Legislative Update from Rep. Bianca VirnigNeighbors, The new legislative session kicked off last month, and we didn’t waste a moment before moving to address the atrocities we’ve seen from ICE in our state over the past few months. No matter what side of the political aisle you sit on, I know that we have a shared value of freedom. Freedom to live free from state sanctioned violence. Freedom from fear of having your home broken into by masked agents. Freedom to not have to worry about our neighbor being taken and disappeared. The American Dream is the vision that through hard work, everyone can thrive and live in safety. And yet, ICE is taking people – including plenty with legal status – directly from job sites as they work to provide better lives for their families, federal agents are blocking state officials from investigating the killings of Minnesotans at their hands, and constitutional observers — essential witnesses to truth — are being targeted with violence. DFLers took immediate action to do what we can in our response as a state government to the federal overreach. We have introduced legislation to ban law enforcement from wearing masks, legislation to allow Minnesotans to sue federal officials for civil rights violations, legislation to keep ICE out of schools, and more. So far, Republicans have blocked our attempts at nearly every turn.  While ICE activity has reduced in the past few weeks, fear has not left our community. If there is anything I can do to help you, your family, or your neighbor, please do not hesitate to reach out. Keeping ICE out of schools isn’t the only thing we’re doing to make sure our kids are safe while they learn. In the Education Finance committee, we heard a bill to help schools secure the funding they need to increase safety through solutions like drug prevention programs to facility and cyber security measures. |