This didn’t happen because of billionaire corporate donors or party machinery. It happened because of people like you.

Our volunteer-led team collected 2,666 verified petition signatures by showing up at No Kings rallies, town halls, and community events across Duval and St. Johns counties. Your Grage-Against-the-Machine grassroots energy got us here.

We are now the first Democrat officially qualified for the August 18th primary. That’s a huge deal.

So let’s celebrate!

We’re throwing a party to celebrate ME turning another year bolder! Join us Friday, June 26th, 6:00-9:30pm — Cuba Libre, 2578 Atlantic Blvd, Jacksonville — for a birthday celebration and fundraiser!

TICKETS

Come celebrate my birthday, raise resources, and help us defeat John Rutherford!

Can’t make it in person? You can still be part of the momentum. Chip in $5, $25, or whatever you can today to help carry us straight through the August 18th primary and on to the general election.

Every dollar goes directly toward grassroots organizing and making sure every voter knows we will fight to lower costs for Florida families and take on the corruption of Trump and the Epstein class.

Rutherford votes for more mass deportations & corruption.

Last week, moments after we announced we would join the End Corruption Caucus, our opponent, incumbent Congressman stock-trader John Rutherford, suddenly posted to Facebook that he was worried about “waste, fraud, and abuse.”

His faux concern was short-lived as he voted yesterday for $70 billion more in funding for ICE’s mass deportation campaign. [1]

Leah Greenberg, Co-Executive Director of Indivisible, summarized the 214-212 vote perfectly:

“Republicans just passed a bill handing ICE another $70 billion to separate families, kidnap innocent people off the street, occupy cities, and expand their concentration camps.”

Yesterday’s vote was a huge payday for Rutherford’s favorite for-profit private prison racket, the GEO Group. Having secured billions in ICE contracts already, these concentration camp profiteers are experts at gaming the “waste, fraud, and abuse” of Trump’s administration, as evidenced by these easily connected dots:

• GEO Group contributed $1 million to a pro-Trump super PAC

• GEO Group donated $500,000 to Trump’s 2025 inaugural committee

• GEO Group founder George Zoley and CEO Brian Evans each contributed $11,600 to Trump’s joint fundraising committee. [2]

• The GEO Group has contributed thousands to Rep. John Rutherford [3]

Any what has all this bought the GEO Group, besides billions in concentration camp contracts?

Meet David Venturella, acting ICE Director and former employee of the GEO Group. That’s right, the man who built the cages for migrants now runs the agency that puts migrants in cages. [4]

So, spare us your fake Facebook outrage Congressman.

Nothing is more wasteful, fraudulent and abusive than the ICE+GEO Group multi-billion-dollar concentration camp racket that Rutherford votes for every single time.

Voters in our district aren’t thinking in terms of red vs. blue, or left vs. right — it’s right vs. wrong.

They know Trump’s corrupt mass deportation campaign is wrong. And Rep. John Rutherford’s active and enthusiastic support for this concentration camp corruption is also wrong.

With your help, we can right these wrongs and win this race!

Voters know the Epstein class is wrong and must be defeated.

Help us do just that.

In solidarity — Rachel Grage

1. ICE is now funded through end of Trump’s term, raising worries about oversight, NPR

2. Some major Trump donors are now reaping billions in ICE contracts, OpenSecrets

3. GEO Group PAC Contributions to Federal Candidates, OpenSecrets

4. The Man Who Built the Cages Now Runs the Agency, Migrant Insider

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There is no red vs. blue, or left vs. right — it’s right vs. wrong.

Trump’s war against Iran is wrong.

The rising costs of gas, groceries, rents, child care, healthcare, etc. is wrong.

Trump’s mass deportation campaign is wrong.

The unprecedented and nonstop corruption by Trump and his family and cronies is wrong.

And, the fact Rep. John Rutherford is doing absolutely nothing to stop any of this is also wrong.

With your help, we can right these wrongs and win this race!

On day one of the new Congress we will join the End Corruption Caucus.

Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO) summarized it best:

“Corruption is poisoning our politics. From the disastrous Citizens United decision, to the President using his office to enrich himself and his family, our democracy is buckling under the influence of billionaire donors and special interests. We must take on corruption to lower prices, restore trust, and help working families.” [1]

You see John Rutherford and the Epstein class keep telling us we cannot afford things like healthcare.

They cut the Affordable Care Act subsidies and now Florida has had the largest drop in healthcare coverage in the country. Potentially 2 million Floridians could now lose their Medicaid coverage. And Trump has even frozen new Medicare enrollments for hospice and home health agencies! [2] [3] [4]

No money for our health, but billions for an illegal war, a fancy ballroom, golden statues, colossal arches, White House sporting events, $250 bills, renaming airports, slush funds and literally hundreds upon hundreds of corrupt deals for Trump’s family and golf buddies! [5] [6]

The ballroom construction is especially corrupt:

“More than half of the 27 publicly-identified donors to President Donald Trump’s $400 million White House ballroom have been awarded new or expanded federal contracts since construction work began… the largest individual recipient of new business over the course of the time period concerned was the defense giant Lockheed Martin, which has received approximately $43.8 billion in new or enhanced government business since the autumn…” [7]

And of course, as corporations like Lockheed Martin profit shamelessly off Trump’s corruption, our opponent John Rutherford profits as well. Not only does he own Lockheed Martin stock, they are a major donor to his campaign! [8] [9]

Voters know this kind of corruption is wrong.

Voters know it is wrong that our healthcare system is broken and bankrupted by politicians like John Rutherford.

Voters know the Epstein class is wrong and must be defeated.

Help us do just that.

In solidarity — Rachel Grage

DONATE TO RACHEL

1. House Democrats launch new anti-corruption caucus targeting Trump-era ethics concerns, MS NOW

2. Florida leads the nation in the drop in Obamacare enrollment, WLRN

3. Raising the Alarm on the Oncoming Tidal Wave of Health Care Coverage Loss for Florida, Florida Policy Institute

4. Trump administration freezes new Medicare enrollments for hospice and home health agencies, WPBF

5. Treasury Department prepares $250 bill with Trump’s face on it, NPR

6. ICYMI: Warren Reads 100 Acts of Trump Corruption Into Congressional Record To Mark 100 Days of the Trump Administration

7. Trump ballroom donors awarded $50B in taxpayer-funded contracts in last six months: watchdog, The Independent

8. Congress Trading: John H. Rutherford bought $LMT on Jul. 17, 2017, Quiver Quantitative

9. Lockheed Martin political donations

   ---

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“This is a theft far worse than Watergate… They are stealing $1.78 BILLION dollars to pay Trump’s allies…” — The Intercept

Donald Trump’s immoral justification for stealing $1.7 billion dollars of our tax money to create a slush fund to pay off January 6th felons is that “loyalty outranks law.” [1] [2]

“Because in my world, loyalty outranks law. They broke the rules for me, so you pay the bill for them. That’s the transaction.” — Donald Trump, convicted of 34 felonies

We are all absolutely fed up with the rising cost-of-living, the over-the-top corruption, and constant chaos… but this is so over the top, even GOP Senators are calling it “stupid.” [3]

But, our Congressman, John Rutherford? Not a word. He has no qualms it seems with the costs, corruption and chaos ruining our economy.

Remember what Trump said recently? —

“We can’t take care of daycare. We’re a big country. We’re fighting wars. It’s not possible for us to take care of daycare, Medicaid, Medicare, all these individual things.” [4]

No funding for daycare, but plenty of cash for violent felons.

Fortunately, Democrats are fighting back with legislation to stop Trump from stealing our tax dollars! [5]

And, another thing that has us salty… When is Congress going to pass the ban on insider stock trading already?!?

Of course John Rutherford — a habitual insider-stock-trading offender — is in no hurry to curb his lucrative, shady side hustle.[6] [7]

But the recent news that Trump initiated “3,700 stock trades worth somewhere between $220 million and three-quarters of a billion dollars” during the first three months of 2026 should absolutely compel Congress to act!

This is what a criminal insider-trading racket looks like:

“Trump bought Nvidia on February 10. Days later, Nvidia announced a major deal with Meta, and the stock jumped roughly 2.5 percent. He sold Microsoft and Amazon in February, then bought millions more in March, shortly before the Pentagon announced it would put its technology into classified computer networks…” [8]

If you or I did anything like this, we would be in handcuffs.

Members of the Epstein class like Donald Trump and John Rutherford think there are no consequences for their corruption.

They are wrong — we are the consequences!

We must defeat Rutherford and demand Congress hold itself and the Trump crime family accountable.

In solidarity — Rachel Grage

DONATE TODAY

(Image credit: Bill Bramhall / Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency)

1. Who Profits From Trump’s $1.8 Billion Theft Of Your Tax Dollars?, The Democracy Labs

2. Slush Fund for Felons: Trump’s $1.766B Payoff Plan, Lincoln Square

3. AG Blanche meets with GOP senators on Trump’s DOJ fund; Tillis calls it ‘stupid’, CNBC

4. Trump says it’s ‘not possible’ for the U.S. to pay for Medicaid, Medicare and day care: ‘We’re fighting wars’, NBC News

5. Raskin introduces bill to block Trump’s $1.776B after GOP shoots down effort to subpoena Blanche, The Hill

6. U.S. Rep. John Rutherford faces ethics committee probe over disclosure of stock trades, Florida Times-Union

7. John Rutherford failed to report pharma stock purchase on time, Florida Politics

8. Casino Donnie’s Insider Trading Racket, Rick Wilson’s Against All Enemies

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No, you cannot have ice cream before dinner… No, you are not getting a new PlayStation… No, you cannot stay home from school today…

Moms understand how to say “no” to their children.

But, MAGA Republicans like John Rutherford are too cowardly to tell our President “no” when he acts like a child.

Instead of saying “no” to Trump’s immoral and illegal war against Iran, Rutherford ignored his constitutional responsibility and voted to allow what he has declared a “perfectly executed” war to continue. [1]

As a result, moms in Duval and St. Johns are now paying $4.50/gallon.

Continuing his toddler-like behavior, Trump now wants a taxpayer-funded $1 billion ballroom! [2]

Will Rutherford break with the Epstein class and tell his party’s “mad king” no, we cannot afford a Gilded Age-style ballroom while families are struggling just to get by?

Highly unlikely.

We’ve had enough of gutless Trump sycophants like John Rutherford… Enough of the rising costs, mind-boggling corruption, and exhausting chaos that Rutherford enables and encourages every single day because he won’t say no.

It is time for some more moms in Congress who can wield their superpowers and say NO when our man-baby President throws a tantrum.

In solidarity — Rachel Grage

PS — We were recently asked what we mean when we say John Rutherford is a member of the Epstein class… this video explains it perfectly… “the powerful are protecting the powerful…” >>

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The Strait of Hormuz — the body of water where 25% of the global oil supply transits daily — remains closed under a blockade by Iran and a simultaneous blockade by the U.S. Navy.

The global energy shock is causing our gas prices in Florida to skyrocket to $4 per gallon.

To be clear: The cost, corruption, and chaos of this war are the fault of war-profiteering politicians like Rep. John Rutherford.

Congress has attempted twice to reign Trump in on this war… and twice Rutherford has opposed efforts to “terminate unauthorized hostilities with Iran.” The latest legislative action failed by one vote, 213-214. [1] [2]

John Rutherford — who says this war has been “perfectly executed” — owns the cost, corruption, and chaos of this Iran debacle that is crushing the global economy and Florida families.

He had the opportunity to stand up to Trump… to stand up for us. He chose cowardice and complicity instead.

Rutherford also owns the cost, corruption, and chaos of Trump’s calamitous mass deportation campaign.

As a member of the Homeland Security Committee, he is an architect of the bloated, corrupt, anti-constitutional ICE mass deportation campaign… something he has declared an “amazing accomplishment.” [3]

Just last week, during a Homeland Security hearing, Rutherford spent most of his allotted time bragging about himself and heaping gratuitous praise upon outgoing acting ICE Director Todd Lyons.

This is the same Todd Lyons who disgustingly compared human beings to Amazon packages:

“We need to get better at treating this like a business, where this mass deportation operation is something like you would see and say, like Amazon trying to get your Prime delivery within 24 hours... So trying to figure out how to do that with human beings.” [4]

Not to be outdone in dehumanizing our immigrant population, Rutherford — who calls humans “illegals” — opined about life in America “once we’ve gotten rid of them…”

Rutherford could have asked Lyons about reports of toddlers suffering from sexual abuse while in ICE custody… reports of feces and vomit in overcrowded ICE facilities… or reports of violent assaults against detainees here in Florida at the so-called “Alligator Alcatraz” concentration camp. [5] [6] [7]

As a lifelong law enforcement member Rutherford could have asked the ICE Director what steps are being taken to stop scammers from exploiting immigrants here in Jacksonville! [8]

Nope. Rutherford would rather repeatedly self-congratulate himself for voting to “fully fund the Department of Homeland Security FOUR times…” and continually dehumanize our neighbors.

Here’s the good news: Members of the Epstein class like John Rutherford, Todd Lyons and Donald Trump are losing.

Because we are fighting back!

Last week, a Minnesota prosecutor brought felony charges against an ICE agent, declaring there is “no such thing as absolute immunity.” [9]

NBC News is reporting ICE has ordered their agents to actually follow our Constitution and “stop entering homes without warrants.” [10]

Catholic Bishops have filed a Supreme Court brief declaring Trump’s Birthright Citizenship executive order “immoral.” [11]

Locally, our community is fighting back against mass deportations. Groups like the Jacksonville Immigrant Rights Alliance have been working overtime “disseminating important legal information across Jacksonville…” [12]

Tomorrow, we can fight back IRL — we will be attending “a nationwide day of action to oppose the Trump administration’s expansion of ICE warehouse detention and its attack on the due process rights of immigrants…” — Saturday, April 25th, 10:00am, organized by the Neptune Beach Coalition and its community partners:

The only way to stop the cost, corruption and chaos of Trump’s immoral and illegal war and mass deportation campaign is to defeat his enablers like John Rutherford.

We must win. Let’s do this together!

In solidarity — Rachel Grage

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PS — Rep. John Rutherford oversees a corrupt world of lucrative no-bid contracts for political cronies, who in turn lavish him in campaign cash.

For example, The GEO Group, a major for-profit prison operator, is a primary contractor operating 19 facilities for ICE, with $2.9 billion in contracts this year alone. The GEO Group in turn donates thousands to Rutherford’s campaign. [13] [14]

This is the kind of quid pro quo corporate corruption we are fighting!

Please help us defeat John Rutherford! Show up… Volunteer… Donate!

Ready to ruffle a few feathers and help us win this thing? We’re hosting a fundraiser to power the next phase of our campaign for Congress: reaching more voters, strengthening our field efforts, and accelerating the momentum it takes to win. I’d love for you to be part of it. Grab a ticket, bring a friend, and join us as we keep building our campaign the right way—together. Let’s make it happen!

Monday, May 11 @ 6:00 PM
Coop 303 - 303 Atlantic Blvd. Atlantic Beach

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VISIT OUR STORE!

1. Roll Call 85 | Bill Number: H. Con. Res. 38

2. Roll Call 114 | Bill Number: H. Con. Res. 40

3. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem Testifies on Capitol Hill, Federation for American Immigration Reform

4. ICE Director: Deportation Should Operate Like Amazon ‘But With Human Beings’, Rolling Stone

5. 3-year-old suffered sexual abuse during months in immigration custody, family alleges, Associated Press

6. Smell of feces, vomit fills crowded ICE facility, detainee’s wife says, Arizona Republic

7. Lawyer Says Two Detainees at ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ Were Assaulted After Complaining About Phone Access, Latin Times

8. The Scammers Profiting off Trump’s Immigration Crackdown, Mother Jones

9. “No Such Thing as Absolute Immunity” — ICE Agent Finally Faces Felony Charges, Migrant Insider

10. ICE tells officers to curtail court arrests, stop entering homes without warrants, NBC News

11. Catholic Bishops File Supreme Court Brief Calling Trump’s Birthright Citizenship Order “Immoral”, Migrant Insider

12. Inside the Rising Grassroots Resistance to Trump’s Anti-Migrant Regime, Migrant Insider

13. Some major Trump donors are now reaping billions in ICE contracts, OpenSecrets

14. GEO Group PAC Contributions to Federal Candidates, OpenSecrets

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By submitting 2,666 verified petition signatures (2,564 were required), Grage is the first Democrat to qualify for the August primary.

“We are overwhelmed by this volunteer-led effort to qualify for the ballot,” declared a confident Rachel Grage. “Our team has been putting in the work throughout Duval and St. Johns collecting signatures from fed up voters at No Kings rallies, town halls, community events, and house parties.”

“This ‘Grage Against the Machine’ energy is exactly how we will defeat the war-profiteering incumbent,” continued Grage. “John Rutherford has enriched and entrenched himself as a member of ‘Epstein class’ thinking he can hide behind his quid pro quo special interest donations from military contractors and ICE grifters. He couldn’t be more wrong.”

“Rutherford can keep making his insider stock trades and depositing his corporate PAC money,” concluded Grage. “We will win by standing up to the greedy corporate lobbyists and making our families the priority again.”

Rachel Grage, who earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in engineering (with a minor in dance!), is the mother of four.

She does not accept corporate PAC money.

ABOUT RACHEL

"I have no fear of the Trump administration, or speaking out loudly of the message of the gospel, which is what I believe I am here to do… Too many people are suffering in the world today. Too many innocent people are being killed…" — Pope Leo XIV

When our children were toddlers, my husband was on active duty in the U.S. Army as a General Medical Officer. Luckily, this was during a time of peace. We didn’t have to live with the fear of him being called up to serve in an active combat zone.

Sadly, that fear is very real for over 50,000 American families who have loved ones deployed near the Iranian theater of war. [1]

And the irrational, unhinged behavior of our President is making that fear even more unnerving.

Last week, after Trump threatened “a whole civilization will die tonight”, we implored the Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment and called for the impeachment of Pete Hegseth.

Nothing has changed: President Trump must be removed from office… and Hegseth is embarrassingly unqualified.

While Trump didn’t follow through with his threat, his unhinged behavior continues to escalate.

After Vice President J.D. Vance’s failed attempt to negotiate peace with the Iranian regime, Trump decided to retaliate against Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz with a U.S. Navy blockade. [2] [3]

You read that correctly: We are attempting to break the enemy’s blockade by blockading their blockade.

In conjunction with their failed Iranian diplomacy, Trump and Vance also watched their authoritarian ally Viktor Orbán get blown out in Hungary’s elections. [4]

And our economy keeps getting worse because of their unhinged behavior: consumer confidence hit record lows, inflation rose to its highest level in two years, and oil prices surged back above $100-per-barrel. [5] [6] [7]

To top it off, Trump decided attacking Pope Leo XIV and posting an AI-generated image of him as Christ-like were prudent moves. [8]

JD Vance — a supposed new Catholic convert — doubled down by demanding the Pope “stick to matters of morality.” [9]

News flash, JD… calling for peace qualifies as a matter of morality.

These unhinged, dangerous times require leaders to lead.

Sadly, our opponent, Rep. John Rutherford (MAGA), is no such leader. His response to the ongoing economic, global crisis has been a campaign of performative photo-ops.

One of these photo-ops was of Rutherford “volunteering” at the USO — a leading charitable organization in serving active-duty service members and military families — “stuffing care packages for our military men and women in uniform who are serving abroad.”

What Rutherford’s self-serving Tweet doesn’t mention is why the USO is suddenly scrambling to stuff care packages: “1,500 sailors, their families and several hundred pets” were emergency evacuated from our Naval Support Activity base in Bahrain following several devastating Iranian missiles and drone attacks.

The USO and other charities are mobilizing to help these service members “pay for essentials and to provide bridge loans so families can pay basic living expenses while they wait for the government to reimburse them, which can take months…” [10]

Rutherford’s “perfectly executed” war has led to 1,500 military families suddenly in need of housing.

And, it gets worse: “More than 10,000 veterans lost their homes to foreclosure since May of last year, when the Trump administration shut down a key safety net in the VA home loan program… Another 90,000 vets are heading toward foreclosure…” [11]

According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, last year’s GOP budget bill — championed by Rutherford — will “take away health coverage and food assistance” from veterans… “One out of every four veterans lived in a household receiving food assistance from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or health coverage from Medicaid or Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)... Veterans could be particularly harmed by Medicaid and SNAP cuts given the complexity of their health care needs and their higher prevalence of food insecurity…” [12]

So spare us your performative, empty photo-ops, Congressman… your legacy will be aiding-and-abetting the corrupt Epstein-class. Your “perfectly executed” war is wrecking lives. That is on you.

In solidarity — Rachel Grage

PS — Rep. John Rutherford is a war-profiteer who uses insider information to enrich himself by trading stocks. His corruption must be stopped! [13]

Please help us defeat him! Show up… Volunteer… Donate!

Our young military family, Easter 2001.

1. There Are Now Over 50,000 American Troops in the Mideast, New York Times

2. First Draft: JD Vance Can’t Stop Losing, Zeteo

3. Trump threatens military action in Strait of Hormuz if Iran challenges new blockade, Politico

4. Vance’s bad week: vice-president risks becoming face of two Trump foreign policy failures, The Guardian

5. US consumer sentiment dives to a record low in April amid Iran war, Reuters

6. Soaring pump prices drive US inflation to highest level in almost two years, BBC

7. Oil Prices Surge Past $100 as Hormuz Blockade Begins, Gotrade

8. Trump says he won’t apologize for attack on Pope Leo, tries to explain now-deleted Christ-like AI post, CBC

9. JD Vance tells Pope Leo XIV to ‘stick to matters of morality’ and stay out of US public policy, Fox News

10. Evacuation of U.S. troops from Mideast base sends community groups scrambling to help, NPR

11. Trump’s VA killed a home loan program. Vets are now losing their homes because of it, NPR

12. 2025 Budget Impacts: House Bill Would Cut Assistance and Raise Costs for Veterans, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

13. GOP Rep. John Rutherford of Florida bought Raytheon stock the same day Russia invaded Ukraine, Business Insider

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The President of the United States is calling for a genocide of “a whole civilization” tonight!

The Cabinet must invoke the 25th Amendment and remove Trump from office.

We agree with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez:

“This is a threat of genocide and merits removal from office. The President’s mental faculties are collapsing and cannot be trusted. To every individual in the President’s chain of command: You have a duty to refuse illegal orders. That includes carrying out this threat.”

Even former rightwing Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene agrees: “... 25TH AMENDMENT!!! Not a single bomb has dropped on America. We cannot kill an entire civilization. This is evil and madness…” [1]

Trump must be removed from office immediately.

And we support Rep. Yassamin Ansari’s articles of impeachment for Pete Hegseth as well:

“Trump is escalating a devastating, illegal war, threatening massive war crimes and targeting civilian infrastructure in Iran. In the last 48 hours alone, the rhetoric has crossed every line. Pete Hegseth is complicit.” [2]

Now is the time for leaders to lead: remove Trump and impeach Hegseth.

Of course, our opponent John Rutherford will not be one of these leaders. He still thinks this war has been “perfectly executed” and is taking performative big-boy truck rides.

History will remember John Rutherford for his inexcusable complicity and disgusting war-profiteering. [3]

In solidarity — Rachel Grage

VIDEO: Today’s Salty Walk Sitdown…

1. Ex-Trump ally Marjorie Taylor Greene joins left-wing calls for the 25th amendment as Iran deadline nears, Fox News

2. House Democrat says she’ll move to impeach Hegseth over Iran war, The Hill

3. GOP Rep. John Rutherford of Florida bought Raytheon stock the same day Russia invaded Ukraine, Business Insider

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“... The suffering of Christ is echoed today in the lives of immigrants who undertake dangerous journeys, endure separation from loved ones, and face an overburdened and often harsh legal system as they seek lawful status and a chance to rebuild their lives…” — Stations of the Cross: Walking With Immigrant Stories, Catholic Legal Immigration Network

Apologies for mixing religion with politics, but tomorrow will be a challenging day… We will be joining the Micah Solidarity Project of NEFL’s Stations of the Cross reenactment at Baker County Correctional Institution in Sanderson.

Baker is an ICE detention facility… and sadly the Catholic Church’s Stations of the Cross ritual mirrors the plight of migrants today in our country.

The similarities are gut wrenching. Take the very first station: the condemnation of Jesus. This parallels with the “poverty, religious persecution and oppressive political regimes” that “condemn our brothers and sisters to migration.”

The three falls of Jesus — stations 3, 7 and 9 — symbolize the obstacles encountered en route, such as injuries, exhaustion, or being beaten down by restrictive policies.

To the final station — The Tomb — representing the “limbo” of living in detention centers or refugee camps, waiting in hope for a new beginning. [1]

Baker is limbo. Baker is persecution. Baker is torture.

Branded the “Deportation Depot” by our performative tough-guy-wannabe Gov. Ron DeSantis, Baker has the capacity to hold 2000 detainees and has been the subject of numerous formal reports and lawsuits alleging inhumane treatment and abuse amounting to torture. [2] [3]

As Katie Blankenship, co-founder at Sanctuary of the South, put it, “This kind of cruelty is not accidental, it’s part of how our immigration system exerts control over human beings.”

Naturally this for-profit immigrant concentration camp is managed by one of Rep. John Rutherford’s largest corporate donors —the GEO Group. And not surprisingly, as a member of the House Appropriations Committee, Rutherford oversees the federal funding that pays for the very ICE contracts managed by GEO. [4] [5] [6]

John Rutherford, who describes himself as a devout Catholic, strongly supports Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign and profits off the persecution, misery, and oppression of migrants. [7]

We will add a prayer for him tomorrow as well.

In solidarity — Rachel Grage

1. The Stations of the Cross for migrants and immigrants, Archdiocese of Seattle

2. Florida’s new immigrant detention center stirs fears among neighbors, WLRN

3. Immigrant Tortured in Prolonged Solitary Confinement at Baker County Detention Center, ACLU Florida

4. GEO Expands Southeast Footprint with New Florida Detention Contract, yahoo!finance

5. John Rutherford Corporate PAC Donors, Quiver Quantitative

6. For-profit Prisons Recipients, Open Secrets

7. John Rutherford (Florida politician), Wikipedia

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Senator Chris Murphy called it “mind-blowing corruption” and asked the obvious question that everyone with a functioning conscience was already thinking: “Who was it? Trump? A family member? A White House staffer?” — The Game Is Rigged. And Now They're Not Even Hiding It, by Adam Kinzinger

The Epstein-class and war-profiteers like Rep. John Rutherford are getting fabulously rich off Trump’s war. And we are paying the price.

Monday at 6:49am — just 15 minutes before Trump announced at 7:04am he would pause bombing Iran’s energy sector for five days — someone purchased between $580 million and $1.5 billion in crude oil futures contracts. [1]

The result: “... Stocks soared. Oil crashed. Brent crude dropped 11%. The Dow jumped 631 points. Fortune estimated $1.7 trillion in market value was created in minutes. Whoever placed those trades banked a staggering profit before most Americans had poured their coffee.” [2]

Noted economist Paul Krugman came right out and said it: “People close to Trump are trading based on national secrets.” Another word for that, he said, is “treason.” [3]

And while these traitors are lining their pockets, people are dying.

13 U.S. service members have been killed… over 200 wounded… thousands of civilians in Iran, Israel, Lebanon and the Gulf have died. A dozen nations have been counterattacked by Iran with missiles and drones. [4]

According to the Iran War Cost Tracker we have spent over $31 billion in just 25 days.

While the global economy and supply chain is crashing… prices of gas, jet fuel, and fertilizer are skyrocketing… prescription drug supplies are dwindling… the Epstein-class is profiting. [5]

We pay $4 per gallon for gas and stand in four-hour long airport lines while war-profiteer and insider-trader John Rutherford’s defense contractor stock portfolio grows. [6]

Since declaring Trump’s disastrous, illegal war of choice was “perfectly executed”, Rutherford has only made a few public appearances (that we know of)... first, he went for a truck ride photo-op… then he traveled to Miami for a “huddle” with President Trump who opined about starting yet another war… this time with Cuba. [7]

John Rutherford’s entire congressional career has been insider stock trades, staged photo-ops, millions in corporate PAC donations, and MAGA elitist cocktail parties.

This year we can end John Rutherford’s reign of self-enrichment!

We are doing the work… even doing things cowardly John Rutherford has never done: actually facing the voters at town halls!

Help us defeat John Rutherford!

In solidarity — Rachel Grage

DONATE TODAY

1. The Game Is Rigged. And Now They’re Not Even Hiding It, by Adam Kinzinger

2. Epstein Class Insider Trading: Gas Futures & Trump’s Iran War, The Democracy Labs

3. Letters from an American, by Heather Cox Richardson

4. At least 200 American troops wounded in Iran war, US military says, The Guardian

5. The Worst-Case Economic Outcome of Trump’s Iran War, The Bulwark

6. GOP Rep. John Rutherford of Florida bought Raytheon stock the same day Russia invaded Ukraine, Business Insider

7. House GOP huddles at Doral, Politico

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“It took Trump 10 days to create an energy crisis reminiscent of the 1970s, replace Ayatollah Khamenei with Ayatollah Khamenei, and weaken our alliances worldwide. He put American servicemembers in harm’s way, resulting in seven deaths. None of this made you safer or better off.” — Sen. Mark Kelly

We are 10 days into a war with Iran that our opponent Rep. John Rutherford proclaims to be “perfectly executed.”

In 10 days we have lost seven U.S. soldiers: Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert M. Marzan (54 years old), Maj. Jeffrey R. O’Brien (45), Sgt. Noah Tietjens (42), Sgt. Nicole Amor (39), Sgt. Declan Coady (20), Sgt. Benjamin N. Pennington (26), and Winter Haven, Florida native Capt. Cody Khork (35). [1] [2]

When White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt was asked about committing ground troops into Iran or reinstituting the draft, she replied, “the president again wisely keeps his options on the table.” [3]

We are spending an estimated $1 billion per day on military operations. [4]

With the Strait of Hormuz still effectively closed to all international commercial shipping, President Trump — without congressional approval — has dedicated $20 billion in “reinsurance” to shipping conglomerates in the hopes of coaxing ships into risking missile or drone attacks in the Strait. [5]

14 nations have been attacked by Iranian missiles and drones. [6]

In 10 days “the average price of regular gasoline has now risen 74.7 cents in Florida.” [7]

And now Trump is going to ask Congress for $50 billion in emergency “supplemental” funding to continue his war of choice against Iran. [8]

It seems launching illegal and immoral wars are expensive… even when they are “perfectly executed.”

But to members of the “Epstein class” — like Donald Trump and war profiteer John Rutherford — war is just another opportunity to enrich themselves.

From Donald Trump, Jr.’s shady Polymarket gambling site (someone with insider information made $553,000 betting on the death of Iran’s supreme leader) to Rep. Rutherford’s Lockheed Martin stocks (they hit a new all-time high this week), the “Epstein class” trades insider information with no consequences. [9] [10]

Meanwhile, Floridians are constantly told what our government cannot afford. And for us, there are real life consequences.

4.7 million Floridians lost their health insurance subsidies this year and nearly 250,000 have already dropped their coverage entirely due to the cost increases. And we are consistently ranked as one of the most expensive states for child care and housing. [11] [12] [13]

We cannot afford to help Floridians afford healthcare, raise their children or buy a home — but when it comes to more funding for Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Lightning II (a $2 trillion program!) or their Trident II D5 Missile (costing $101 million per missile), war profiteers like John Rutherford have no spending limit! [14] [15]

Then there’s Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s shocking and borderline criminal $93 billion shopping spree… According to the government watchdog Open the Books, the former Fox News weekend host spent $98,329 on a “Steinway & Sons grand piano… an astronomical amount of shellfish, including $2 million for Alaskan king crab and $6.9 million worth of lobster tail… $15.1 million for ribeye steak (again, just in September), $124,000 for ice cream machines, and $139,224 on 272 orders of doughnuts…” [16] [17]

Congressman John Rutherford’s former colleague, ex-GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger, summarized Hegseth’s September 2025 shopping habits perfectly:

“At the same time Americans were struggling with rising grocery costs, borrowing money just to buy food, and falling behind on car payments, the Pentagon was filling shopping carts with lobster and ribeye.” [18]

Tell us, Rep. Rutherford… are you cool with Pete Hegseth spending $26,000 for sushi preparation tables? Standing by your “perfectly executed” assessment?

Folks, we have one shot to end this madness. Please join us as we prioritize Florida families over the priorities of the “Epstein class” and the war profiteers.

In solidarity — Rachel Grage

DONATE TODAY

1. Seventh US service member killed in war with Iran identified, The Guardian

2. Florida Army Reserve captain killed in Iran war, USA Today

3. Fact Check: What Karoline Leavitt said about potential for Iran military draft, ground troops, Snopes

4. $3.7 Billion: Estimated Cost of Epic Fury’s First 100 Hours, CSIS

5. US launches $20 billion reinsurance plan to revive shipping in Strait of Hormuz, The National News

6. Maps and charts of the Iran crisis, Reuters

7. Iran War pushes Florida gas prices even higher, Tallahassee Democrat

8. Johnson: Congress will pass Iran war funding when ‘appropriate’, Politico

9. Prediction market trader ‘Magamyman’ made $553,000 on death of Iran’s supreme leader, NPR

10. The market winners: Which stocks are ‘boosted’ by the Iran war so far?, EuroNews

11. Obamacare enrollment in Florida plummets in 2026 as insurance costs soar, USA Today

12. Florida Ranks Among Most Expensive States For Child Care, Florida News

13. In search of affordability: How Florida ranks for cost of living, Action News Jax

14. F-35s to cost $2 trillion as Pentagon plans longer use, says watchdog, Defense News

15. Precision Strike Missile, made possible by Trump’s treaty withdrawal, has combat debut against Iran, Defense Scoop

16. Pete Hegseth Blew Billions on Fruit Basket Stands, Chairs, and Crab, The New Republic

17. Pentagon Should Focus on Defense Priorities, not Lavish Dinners, After Historic $93.4B “Use-It-or-Lose-It” September, OPENTHEBOOKS

18. We Stopped Feeding the World to Buy Lobster, by Adam Kinzinger

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153 people — including children — have been killed by one of our precision-guided missiles that struck a girl’s school in Minab, Iran. [2] [3]

Over 1,400 air strikes were carried out by Israeli and U.S. forces over a 12-hour period. [4]

Iran has launched counterstrikes against at least 13 cities in Israel, the United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi and Dubai), Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Iraq. [5]

Don’t get me wrong, we are not going to lose sleep over the death of 86-year-old Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. His deliberately cruel and sadistic 37-year reign of domestic repression, regional proxy wars, state sponsored terrosim, and the pursuit of a nuclear program is finally over.

But we will lose sleep over what’s next.

Sen. John McCain’s former campaign manager Steve Schmidt, puts it bluntly: “... What’s next? What’s the plan? Every single American has both a right and a duty to ask those questions. They must be asked. America is at war. The Ayatollah is dead. What are we fighting for?...” [6]

And, where is Congress?

Well, we won’t get any answers from Rep. John Rutherford or his Epstein class brethren. He is gleefully tweeting how he stands behind Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu claiming “our world is safer with President Trump as Commander in Chief…”

Rather than do his constitutional duty, war profiteer John Rutherford is counting down the seconds until the stock market opens tomorrow morning so he can see his wealth grow when, inevitably, all his ill-gotten holdings in Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems and General Dynamics spike in earnings. [7]

Well, our Constitution is pretty clear in Article I, Section 8 when it states Congress alone has the power “to declare War.” Not Donald Trump. [8]

We stand firmly behind the bipartisan call by Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) for an immediate vote on the War Powers Act to restrain President Trump following joint U.S.-Israel military strikes on Iran.

Congress must take up this debate before more U.S. service members lose their lives not knowing what we are fighting for.

In Solidarity, Rachel Grage

1. U.S. confirms 3 troops killed in war as Iran launches retaliatory strikes, CBS News

2. At least 153 dead after reported strike on school, Iran says, BBC

3. “Small Children Who Knew Nothing of Politics or Wars”, Drop Site News

4. Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has been killed, NPR

5. In maps: Strikes across Iran and the Middle East, BBC

6. What’s next? What is the plan?, The Warning with Steve Schmidt

7. Meet the Congress Members Trading Defense Stocks While Shaping Military Policy, Truthout

8. Declare War Clause, National Constitution Center

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Despite earning $174,000 per year as our Congressman, he refuses to hold town hall meetings without consequences. [1]

On the very day that Russia invaded Ukraine — and while Congress was finalizing a $6.5 billion military aid package for Ukraine — Rutherford used insider information to purchase thousands of shares of Raytheon stock (the manufacturers of stinger missiles) without consequences. [2]

He also purchased “Lockheed Martin, Microsoft, and BAE Systems stock while sitting on the House Appropriations subcommittee responsible for determining the Department of Homeland Security’s funding. All three of those companies have been awarded contracts with the Department of Homeland Security.” Again, without consequences. [3]

All told, Rutherford has traded $3.64 million in stocks while serving in Congress, without consequences. [4]

For years Rutherford has opposed the Affordable Care Act — even voting to replace it with the so-called “Trumpcare” non-plan — and now 4.7 million Floridians have lost their Obamacare subsidies. [5] [6]

Rutherford, who is covered by the congressional “gold plan”, even profited off his destruction of our healthcare system by violating the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act (STOCK Act) when he failed to report his purchase of pharmaceutical company Bristol Myers Squibb stock — without consequences. [7] [8]

And then there’s Rutherford’s Homeland Security Committee specialty: his unabashed quid pro quo support for multi-billion ICE contracts in exchange for campaign donations. [9] [10]

Want to violate the 4th Amendment with “unreasonable searches and seizures” against American citizens? Not a problem for a former law enforcement professional like John Rutherford… ICE can do as it pleases, without consequences.

For decades members of the Epstein class — like John Rutherford — have operated without consequences.

Well, we are sick of it. And with your help we will defeat John Rutherford and send a message to the entire Epstein class that there will be consequences!

DONATE to Rachel

Tonight, John Rutherford will sit in the House of Representatives with scores of his other Epstein “classmates” to listen to their leader — Donald Trump — lie to the American people.

Also present for tonight’s State of the Union address will be Haley Robson, who was sexually trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein when she was 16-years-old. Other Epstein survivors, including Dani Bensky and Marina Lacerda, will also be in the chamber. [11]

According to an NPR report today, “the Justice Department has withheld some Epstein files related to allegations that President Trump sexually abused a minor.” [12]

If John Rutherford had any courage or morality or decency he’d be calling for the impeachments of Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel, and the man who “sexually abused a minor.”

But he doesn’t have any courage or morality or decency… John Rutherford will sit there and clap for a man who “sexually abused a minor.”

Demand consequences. Vote Rutherford out.

In solidarity — Rachel Grage

PS — Of course John Rutherford doesn’t just trade stocks and award multi-billion federal contracts to the likes of Lockheed Martin and BAE Systems without grifting for massive campaign donations! “Lockheed Martin is a regular donor to Rutherford’s campaign committee, Citizens for John Rutherford…” and “BAE Systems’ Political Action Committee (PAC) is one of Rutherford’s regular corporate donors…” [13] [14]

There must be consequences! Help us fight back with small donations like $10, $25 or $50! Join the fight!

1. Rutherford rejects calls for town hall meetings, Jacksonville Today

2. GOP Rep. John Rutherford of Florida bought Raytheon stock the same day Russia invaded Ukraine, Business Insider

3. Meet the Congress Members Trading Defense Stocks While Shaping Military Policy, Truthout

4. John Rutherford Trading Activity, Quiver Quantitative

5. Protesters Demand Jacksonville Congressman Explain ‘Yes’ Vote On ‘Trumpcare’, WJCT News

6. 2026 price hikes hit ACA health insurance plans as subsidies expire for millions of Americans, CBS News

7. Congress gets the gold, and the people get silver? Bronze?, Physicians for a National Health Program

8. John Rutherford failed to report pharma stock purchase on time, Florida Politics

9. Senate Approves Unprecedented Spending for Mass Deportation, Ignoring What’s Broken in our Immigration System, American Immigration Council

10. For-profit Prisons Recipients, OpenSecrets

11. House Democrats bringing Jeffrey Epstein survivors to Trump’s State of the Union speech, NBC News

12. Justice Department withheld and removed some Epstein files related to Trump, NPR

13. John Rutherford, OpenSecrets

14. BAE Systems PAC Contributions to Federal Candidates, OpenSecrets

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The 911 call finally was made at 3:00am.

A baby was “choking on his own vomit and experiencing respiratory issues…”

2-month-old Juan Nicolás was a prisoner at an ICE detention camp. [1]

The South Texas Family Residential Center [concentration camp for toddlers] is run by CoreCivic — one of Rep. John Rutherford’s donors — and has a $180 million annual operating budget. Despite their budgetary largesse, CoreCivic had “no medical staff at the facility in the early morning hours.”

Baby Nicolás was rushed to the hospital after his mother found him “unresponsive.” He was later diagnosed with bronchitis and returned to prison!

Migrant Insider blasted CoreCivic’s decision to return Nicolás to his prison cell: “Let us be precise about what bronchitis means in a two-month-old. It means inflamed airways. It means a respiratory system that is still, at this age, learning to do its job — now under assault, now being forced to fight, inside a facility where an 18-month-old detainee recently developed COVID, RSV, and pneumonia…” [2]

Later that morning, Nicolás and his family were suddenly deported to Mexico. According to Univision reporter Lidia Terrazas, the family had been “practically abandoned” across the border in Mexico and “had to borrow a phone from a stranger in the street to call her and update her on their situation.” The family had “only the money that they had in their commissary—a total of $190.”

This is the world our opponent, Rep. John Rutherford, enthusiastically supports. And it is a corrupt world of lucrative no-bid contracts for political cronies, who in turn lavish Rutherford in campaign cash.

$180,000,000 for his corporate donors like CoreCivic… who get awarded massive ICE contracts and then brag about how they “will assume the additional responsibility of onsite medical care” in their own press releases. [3]

$92,000,000 for porta-potties at Gov. DeSantis’ disastrous Everglades concentration camp, the so-called “Alligator Alcatraz.” The lobbying firm behind this financial sink-hole are long-time Rutherford backers, including current White House chief-of-staff Susie Wiles. [4] [5]

$45,000,000,000 allocated — thanks to John Rutherford’s work on the Homeland Security Committee — for ICE to purchase warehouses to be used as detention camps. [6] [7]

$128,000,000 of this ICE slush fund was used recently to purchase a detention warehouse in Georgia from a Russian-based real estate company. That same property was sold just two years ago for $29 million, netting the Russian firm $99 million! [8]

On a recent quarterly earnings call, CoreCivic complained that ICE “had not detained as many immigrants as investors hoped.” They lamented that detainees had been “below what investors thought [it] was going to be.” [9]

It seems record profits are not quite enough for CoreCivics. And now their CEO Patrick Swindle — who makes $4.6 million per year — will have to report a few less detainees to his poor disgruntled investors… because 2-month-old Juan Nicolás and his family have been deported.

In solidarity — Rachel Grage

PS — We are up against some of DC’s most powerful elites, including President Trump’s chief-of-staff Susie Wiles (!), who gave $5,000 to Rutherford’s campaign! [10]

But, despite Rutherford’s let’s-incarcerate-toddlers-policy for his elite lobbyist friends, we outraised him last quarter! Because of generous folks like you we are able to fight back through small donations like $10, $25 or $50! Join the fight!

DONATE to Rachel

1. Two-month-old ICE detainee Juan Nicolás deported while sick with bronchitis, San Antonio Current

2. ICE Returns Bronchitic Two-Month-Old to Concentration Camp After Hospitalization, Migrant Insider

3. CoreCivic Announces Resumption of Operations at South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas, CoreCivic

4. $92 million for porta-potties? Big spending at ‘Alligator Alcatraz’, Tampa Bay Times

5. John Rutherford nears $750K on hand for reelection bid, Florida Politics

6. Senate Approves Unprecedented Spending for Mass Deportation, Ignoring What’s Broken in our Immigration System, American Immigration Council

7. How ICE grew to be the highest-funded U.S. law enforcement agency, NPR

8. Trump’s DHS just bought an ICE detention warehouse for $128 MILLION, The Tennessee Holler

9. Unsatisfied With Record Profits, Private Prison Investors Want ICE to Escalate, The Appeal

10. Donor Lookup: Susie Wiles, OpenSecrets

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And, according to Jacksonville Bold, Rutherford was “quick to say thanks” pointing out he and Trump have “stood shoulder to shoulder for years fighting for law and order…”

But does Rutherford really have “the Wisdom and Courage it takes to Ensure LAW AND ORDER?”

America seems extremely unlawful and disorderly… and we are certainly not seeing wisdom and courage from these two!

Take the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) astronomical surge in funding — shepherded through Congress last year by Rutherford — which allocates $45 billion to build more immigration detention centers. [1]

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem says ICE will be “able to hold up to 100,000 people in custody daily.” [2]

The problem is, who are these 100,000 people? Are they receiving their constitutional guarantee to due process? Are they being given access to legal counsel? Medical care? Proper sanitation? Food?

No. They most certainly are not.

It’s a horrifyingly difficult read, but ProPublica — The Children of Dilley — went inside an ICE detention camp in Texas that holds on average 1,300 detainees, over half of them children. [3] [4]

Data indicates that 98% of those detained at Dilley have no criminal record. Mothers and their toddlers are being held by ICE despite having no criminal record:

“... Kheilin Valero from Venezuela, who was being held with her 18-month-old, Amalia Arrieta, said shortly after they were detained following an ICE appointment on Dec. 11 in El Paso, Texas, the baby fell ill. For two weeks, she said, medical staff gave her ibuprofen and eventually antibiotics, but Amalia’s breathing worsened to the point that she was hospitalized in San Antonio for 10 days. She was diagnosed with COVID-19 and RSV. ‘Because she went so many days without treatment, and because it’s so cold here, she developed pneumonia and bronchitis,’ Kheilin said. ‘She was malnourished, too, because she was vomiting everything’...”

A whistleblower who worked at a Baltimore ICE facility reported seeing “people laying in feces. People throwing up, people laying in urine.” The worker said it reminded him of “pictures that I saw in elementary school of how they brought the slaves from Africa.” [5]

A Newsweek report about conditions in another Texas ICE facility quoted a 32-year-old detainee, Yajaira Porras Medina — a green card holder since 1998 — who “raised concerns to facility staff and officers at Camp East Montana about privacy, hygiene, and medical care. Hygiene supplies such as tampons were unavailable for days, cameras were positioned directly in view of toilets, and she also witnessed mold in the showers…” [6]

A Government Accountability Office (GAO) investigation found that ICE was systematically denying “women in custody pads and tampons, forcing them to bleed or improvise using toilet papers and rags.” [7]

And then there is Gov. Ron DeSantis’ performative half-a-billion dollar money-pit and human rights abomination the so-called “Alligator Alcatraz.”

In just this past week, CBS News reported “worms in their food, toilets that don’t flush and overflowing sewage. Mosquitoes and other insects are everywhere.” NBC Miami interviewed the wife of a detainee who said her husband “has been beaten and is facing a lack of food and poor hygiene.” [8] [9]

This is not wisdom and courage… and it certainly isn’t law and order.

John Rutherford, Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis are cowards who gleefully lock up women and children in horrific conditions without due process and pat themselves on the back shouting about LAW AND ORDER.

Rutherford must be defeated. Masked lawless ICE bullies must be brought to justice. And their $45 billion concentration camp program must be completely dismantled.

If we want law and order we need to stop detaining Amalia Arrieta and her mother. And stop ICE’s madness.

In solidarity — Rachel Grage

PS — The CoreCivic corporation runs the South Texas Family Residential Center [concentration camp for children] in Dilley, Texas and is paid $180 million annually to deny toddlers like Amalia basic medical treatment. [10]

CoreCivic in turn donates thousands to John Rutherford’s political campaign and leadership PAC. [11]

But, despite Rutherford’s corporate pay-to-play and let’s-incarcerate-toddlers-policy, we outraised him last quarter! Because of generous folks like you we are able to fight back through small donations like $10, $25 or $50!

Thank you!

DONATE to Rachel

1. Senate Approves Unprecedented Spending for Mass Deportation, Ignoring What’s Broken in our Immigration System, American Immigration Council

2. How ICE grew to be the highest-funded U.S. law enforcement agency, NPR

3. The Children of Dilley, ProPublica

4. Daily number of kids in ICE detention jumps 6x under Trump administration, report finds, KJCT ABC

5. Whistleblower’s shocking account of Baltimore ICE Facility fuels push for change on Capitol Hill, in court, WUSA

6. Women Raise Alarm Inside America’s Largest ICE Detention Center, Newsweek

7. ICE Denies Women in Custody Pads and Tampons, Forcing Them to Bleed or Improvise Using Toilet Papers and Rags, International Business Times

8. Migrants in US detention centers like Florida’s “Alligator Alcatraz” face dire conditions, prolonged waits: “I am desperate”, CBS News

9. Renewed allegations of inhumane treatment at ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ detention center, NBC Miami

10. CoreCivic Announces Resumption of Operations at South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas, CoreCivic

11. John Rutherford, OpenSecrets

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5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father were taken from their home and sent to an ICE facility in Texas — only to be returned to Minnesota following a federal judge’s order to release them.

The judge blasted the Trump administration calling their actions an “ill-conceived and incompetently-implemented government pursuit of daily deportation quotas, apparently even if it requires traumatizing children.” Liam’s family has an “active asylum claim”, meaning they are lawfully in the United States. [1]

Armed, masked agents broke down U.S. citizen ChongLy Scott Thao’s front door — without a warrant — arrested him, handcuffed him, and marched him out into the subzero temperatures wearing only his underwear. [2]

Renee, Alex, Liam, and ChongLy are the faces of ICE’s illegal, violent assaults last month in Minnesota… but this chaotic mayhem has been going on for a year now.

Last fall, Marimar Martinez — also a U.S. citizen — was shot five times by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) while driving in Chicago. Her crime? She was honking her horn to warn her neighbors about ICE activity.

Yesterday, Martinez testified on Capitol Hill:

“On Friday, I was teaching the young children at the Montessori School, and we were singing and dancing… On Saturday, my own government was calling me a domestic terrorist, and I was in federal detention centers with the bullet holes all over my body.” [3]

Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) displayed text messages obtained during their investigation showing the CBP agent who shot Martinez bragging about shooting her: “I fired 5 rounds and she had 7 holes. Put that in your book, boys.” [4]

Last year 32 people died in ICE detention centers, making it the deadliest year in two decades. Six of those fatalities were here in Florida. [5] [6] [7]

Across Florida our immigrant neighbors are living in fear — especially Venezuelans and Haitians who are here legally under Temporary Protected Status (TPS) orders despite repeated attempts by DHS to eliminate their status.

According to Florida Rising, the fear is so great that 500 senior citizens — including several Holocaust survivors — residing in a Boca Raton assisted-living facility have asked if they can hide the building’s Haitian staff in their apartments. “That reminds me of Anne Frank,” Rachel Blumberg, president and CEO of the center, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

With over 400,000 TPS holders in Florida alone, Miami Mayor Eileen Higgins was absolutely right to sound the economic alarm over the weekend on Face the Nation, stating that “our economy is at stake and our humanity is at stake.” TPS workers in Florida are highly concentrated in construction, hospitality, and building cleaning, with an estimated $10.7 billion annual contribution to the state’s GDP. [8]

We’d ask you to call our Congressman, John Rutherford, but that would be a waste of your time. He is one of the architects of this national assault on our rights and our economy.

Despite serving in law enforcement for four decades, John Rutherford is absolutely fine with CBP and ICE trampling our rights and proclaimed ICE as an “amazing accomplishment.” [9]

Rutherford is too much of a coward to stand up to the Trump regime and his collaborators Stephen Miller and Kristi Noem.

We will fight for our rights and our neighbors. In Congress, we will work to ensure our borders are secure through smart, efficient enforcement, while maintaining a fair and humane immigration system that respects due process.

Join our fight!

In solidarity — Rachel Grage

PS — Rep. John Rutherford is a vocal proponent and key supporter of the $178 billion infusion — “the largest single package of Department of Homeland Security supplemental appropriations ever put before Congress” — to fund ICE detention facilities, deportation operations, and new agents.

And the corporations profiting off Trump’s illegal mass deportation campaign via lucrative federal contracts — General Dynamics, Motorola Solutions, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Lockheed Martin — are rewarding Rutherford’s patronage with massive campaign donations.

But, here’s good news… despite Rutherford’s corporate largesse, we outraised him last quarter! Please help us continue to fight back with $10, $25 or $50 today! Thanks!

DONATE to Rachel

1. 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and father return to Minnesota from ICE facility in Texas, Associated Press

2. US citizen says ICE removed him from his Minnesota home in his underwear after warrantless search, Associated Press

3. ‘My own government attempted to execute me,’ Chicago woman shot by Border Patrol testifies, Capitol News Illinois

4. Congressman Reads Texts From Border Agent Who Bragged About Shooting Chicago Woman: ‘5 Shots, 7 Holes’, Mediaite

5. At Least 32 People Died in ICE Custody Last Year, as Fatal Shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti Spur National Outrage, People

6. Florida accounts for one-third of total U.S. immigrant deaths in ICE custody, records show, 10 Tampa Bay News

7. 2025 was ICE’s deadliest year in two decades. Here are the 32 people who died in custody, The Guardian

8. 550,000 Workers Lose Status by End of 2025: Potential Impact by State and Industry, Penn Wharton

9. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem Testifies on Capitol Hill, Federation for American Immigration Reform

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Instead, Stella videoed the execution of Alex Pretti in her neighborhood.

Unlike the masked Customs & Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents cowards that have been terrorizing American cities, Stella showed her face in an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper. [1]

Asked why she risked speaking out, she answered: “We all have to be brave.”

Calling her interview “astonishing,” Mother Jones praised Stella for her “true heroism” and lauded the “power of bearing witness.” [2]

More than 72 hours following Alex Pretti’s murder a handful of Republicans have issued some semi-brave statements: “The images of this incident are deeply troubling and a full and transparent investigation of this officer involved shooting must take place immediately.” — former GOP Vice President Mike Pence [3]

Michigan GOP Rep. Tom Barrett called it a “tragedy” and said he was “saddened by the death of Alex Pretti.” Texas Rep. Michael McCaul said he was “troubled by the events that have unfolded.” [4] [5]

Both Barrett and McCaul serve on the House Subcommittee on Homeland Security — the committee that funds the budgets for CBP and ICE — along with our opponent John Rutherford.

And just what has Congressman Rutherford said about this national tragedy?

Absolutely nothing.

In the last 72 hours, Rutherford has found the time to brag on Twitter about being a “former sheriff and lifetime member of law enforcement”... he took to Instagram to talk about “National School Choice Week”... and over on Facebook he boastfully posted about his “A+ grade” from a pro-life group.

But he hasn’t found the time to utter a word about the murder of an American citizen by agents of the U.S. government.

John Rutherford is a coward.

In solidarity — Rachel Grage

PS — This is who we are up against: General Dynamics, Motorola Solutions, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Lockheed Martin… all of these corporations make billions off Department of Homeland Security contracts… overseen by the very subcommittee Rutherford sits on.

In turn all of these corporations donate thousands to John Rutherford’s campaign. We are counting on you! Please help us fight back with $10, $25 or $50 today! Thanks!

DONATE to Rachel

1. ‘We all have to be brave’: Meet the woman whose video of Alex Pretti’s killing contradicted the administration’s claims, CNN

2. True Heroism and Bearing Witness: the Woman Who Documented the Killing of Alex Pretti, Mother Jones

3. Pence calls images of Minnesota shooting ‘deeply troubling’, Politico

4. Statement on the Death of Alex Pretti, Rep. Tom Barrett

5. Republicans manage Minnesota backlash with eye on midterm elections, BBC

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“… As G. Elliott Morris of Strength in Numbers wrote: Republicans could stop this at any time they wanted to. ‘All it would take to end the murder of American citizens by an untrained government goon squad is 16 Republicans in Congress voting with Dem[ocrat]s to defund ICE (or 23 to impeach and remove Trump—3 in House & 20 in Senate). That’s it. 23 Americans can vote for the public and end all of this’...” — Heather Cox Richardson

Alex Pretti served our nation as an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs hospital. [1]

Yesterday, he was filming U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) activity when one of the agents shoved a woman down onto the sidewalk.

Alex put his body between the assaulting agent and the downed fellow citizen. He attempted to help her to her feet.

He was pepper sprayed. He was pummeled and kicked and beaten by a half dozen CBP agents.

In the melee, his legally registered firearm was pulled from his holster by another CBP agent.

And then he was shot. Nine times.

An American hero — whose last act was trying to help a woman to her feet — was executed by the United States government.

Rep. John Rutherford is one of the Republicans who could stop this at any time if he wanted to.

Rutherford serves on the House Subcommittee on Homeland Security that sets the annual budgets for CBP and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

He spent 41 years at the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office as a deputy and then as the elected sheriff.

John Rutherford knows that CBP should not be operating — let alone executing U.S. citizens — 300 miles from the border.

He knows ICE has no legal authority to racially profile citizens, unlawfully detain U.S. citizens, violate our 4th Amendment rights by performing searches and seizures without judicial warrants, deny medical care to detainees, and literally disappear people.

Rutherford — with four decades of law enforcement training — knows full well that CBP and ICE are trampling our rights across the country on a seemingly hourly basis.

But he doesn’t care. He thinks ICE is an “amazing accomplishment.” [2]

Well, we think ICE — as it exists today — is an un-American abomination… a system of abuse that must be dismantled.

In Congress, we will works to ensure America’s borders are secure through smart, efficient enforcement, while maintaining a fair and humane immigration system that respects due process.

And we will hold Alex Pretti and Renee Good’s killers accountable.

In solidarity — Rachel Grage

PS — This is who we are up against: General Dynamics, Motorola Solutions, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Lockheed Martin… all of these corporations make billions off Department of Homeland Security contracts… overseen by the very subcommittee Rutherford sits on.

In turn all of these corporations donate thousands to John Rutherford’s campaign. We are counting on you! Please help us fight back with $10, $25 or $50 today! Thanks!

DONATE to Rachel

1. Alex Pretti was an ICU nurse to veterans. His last act on earth was helping a woman shoved to the ground. He was a hero, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortezvia Instagram

2. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem Testifies on Capitol Hill, Federation for American Immigration Reform

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Last week, Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan’s Hispanic Outreach Coordinator Yanira Cardona did an Instagram post.

Like most of us, Yanira saw ICE murder Renee Good in broad daylight by shooting her in the face.

Yanira may have seen the harrowing images of a disabled woman being violently pulled from her car by ICE agents… or she may have seen reports that ICE launched teargas into a car with six children inside — including a six-month old infant… [1]

... They were on their way home from basketball practice… “[ICE] proceeded to yell in and said, 'Get out of here'... And my husband screamed and said, 'We're trying… Within seconds, there was a big boom and our car was up in the air and we slammed down and all of our airbags deployed… And tear gas just started forming… The last person to get out of the car was my infant child… he was, like, lifeless. It was like foam or bubbles coming out of his mouth. I had to give him mouth-to-mouth and CPR. I couldn't even breathe myself, and all I remember is between every breath, I was saying, 'I'm going to give you every breath I have until you get yours back.'"... [2]

Like most of us, Yanira may have been traumatized by the indiscriminate brutality we are witnessing in real time by rogue, masked ICE agents.

So when she heard ICE was setting up roadblocks throughout Jacksonville, she did what responsible city officials should do — she warned citizens of the potential danger via her personal Instagram account.

Yanira’s warning post is emotional and accurate — everyone should watch it on her Instagram account: @yayalovejax

… “We are living in very difficult times, but my best advice is: 1. Have a plan in place with your lawyers. 2. Give someone you trust power of attorney for your business and your children. 3. If you are stopped by law enforcement, please cooperate and follow their instructions…” [3]

… “ICE is out and about… They are doing speed traps… They are targeting, literally, they’re targeting any lawn care companies, any AC company construction vans. They’re literally stopping them just to make sure that they have their paperwork… as much as we want to get up and fight, guys, as much as we want to, believe me, it’s not the right way right now… We have to listen, we have to comply, get the plan in place…” [4]

Yanira did what city officials should do — she warned us.

And for this, she has been placed on leave by the city.

And now, Yanira is being targeted by Gov. Ron DeSantis and Attorney General James Uthmeier.

“I know you had that one woman in the city of Jacksonville government putting out information. Look, that’s not the way we roll here in the state of Florida. You know, we’re going to respect law enforcement, respect the rule of law.” — Gov. Ron DeSantis [5]

Let us be crystal clear: We stand with Yanira Cardona.

When we get to Congress we will dismantle ICE.

While our opponent, Rep. John Rutherford — a so-called lawman — might think ICE is an “amazing accomplishment”, we stand for the rule-of-law and our constitution. We will demand investigations and accountability for everyone currently assaulting our citizens and violating our rights. [6]

And our message to Florida’s two biggest bullies — Ron DeSantis and James Uthmeier — leave Yanira alone.

Don’t think for a second you will get away with your performative and cruel concentration camp in the Everglades. We will insist on investigations into the $225 million in no-bid contracts doled out to your political cronies for Alligator Alcatraz! [7]

Stand up for Yanira Cardona. And stand up to bullies like Ron DeSantis and James Uthmeier.

In solidarity — Rachel Grage

PS — This is who we are up against: General Dynamics, Motorola Solutions, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Lockheed Martin… all of these corporations make billions off Department of Homeland Security contracts. In turn all of these corporations donate thousands to John Rutherford’s campaign.

We won’t trade lucrative quid pro quo ICE contracts for campaign cash… we are counting on you! Please help us fight back with $10, $25 or $50 today! Thanks!

DONATE to Rachel

1. Woman dragged from car by ICE agents yells ‘I’m disabled’ in chaotic scene in Minneapolis, The Independent

2. Minneapolis couple says ICE released tear gas under their family vehicle with 6 children inside, CBS News

3. Jacksonville official placed on leave for warning Instagram followers about ICE arrests, advising on how to avoid ‘targeting’, Florida Politics

4. Defiant Donna Deegan says staffer’s ICE warning broke social media policy, but was legal, Florida Politics

5. Ron DeSantis defends ICE’s right to operate, criticizes Jacksonville official for not respecting ‘rule of law’, Florida Politics

6. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem Testifies on Capitol Hill, Federation for American Immigration Reform

7. “Alligator Alcatraz” Cost Law, Lives, and Urgent State Priorities, Florida Policy Institute

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These were Renee Nicole Good’s last words before ICE agent Jonathan Ross murdered her last week.

We are outraged. We are heartbroken. We demand justice. We must take action.

To hold those who empowered killers like Jonathan Ross accountable we must defeat those who voted to triple ICE’s budget. [1]

We must defeat John Rutherford.

He “celebrated” this surge in federal dollars to an agency of masked thugs who trample our constitutional rights with reckless abandon. To Rutherford, ICE is an “amazing accomplishment.” [2]

Accountability starts with us.

In solidarity — Rachel Grage

PS — Besides voting for billions in ICE funding, John Rutherford has taken thousands from the very private prison contractors profiting off Kristi Noem’s rogue agency. [3]

Please help us fight back with $10, $25 or $50 today! Thanks!

DONATE to Rachel

1. ICE’s Budget Is Set to Triple Next Year, Jacobin, 7/28/25

2. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem Testifies on Capitol Hill, Federation for American Immigration Reform, 5/12/25

3. For-profit Prisons Recipients, OpenSecrets

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