We're NOT Doomed: Jan 23, 2026

It's not just Mamdani

Here’s the headline you saw:

“Immigration officers assert sweeping power to enter homes without a judge’s warrant, memo says”

And here’s what the headline should have ACTUALLY said:

“Whistleblower at ICE leaks memo from May, giving agents permission to enter homes with only an administrative warrant”

The headline you saw, gives the impression that this is a new thing, when, in fact, this is just confirmation of what we already knew was happening. It also suggests that there’s no warrant at all, which isn’t exactly the case.

Here’s what the actual memo says, according to a quote from AP:

The memo, signed by the acting director of ICE, Todd Lyons, and dated May 12, 2025, says: “Although the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has not historically relied on administrative warrants alone to arrest aliens subject to final orders of removal in their place of residence, the DHS Office of the General Counsel has recently determined that the U.S. Constitution, the Immigration and Nationality Act, and the immigration regulations do not prohibit relying on administrative warrants for this purpose.”

First off, an administrative warrant is not no warrant, it’s just provided by DHS, not a judge, and it’s absolutely not legally viable for entering private residences. They’re definitely breaking the law here, but, they’ve been doing this for almost a year. This isn’t news, it’s just confirmation.

So, instead of the story being “OH MY GOD! They’re gonna START entering homes without a warrant,” it’s actually “OH MY GOD! There’s actually someone brave enough at ICE to tell us about it.”

Which, makes me feel less Doomed.

And the headline probably wasn’t worded like that for that exact reason—Panic is what sells the news.

And don’t get me wrong, the reality is horrible. I mean, they were literally given written permission (even though a memo doesn’t magically make something legal) to enter homes without a judicial warrant. Though, author Rebecca Santana does clarify that, even the memo says, they must first knock on the door and try to get in legally before just entering.

She also goes on to explain that the memo goes against what’s in the ICE handbook, and although it hasn’t been spread widely in the department, it is being used to train new agents. She also mentions that they got this story from someone in Congress who has been working with the whistleblower, and has access to the memo:

The Associated Press obtained the memo and whistleblower complaint from an official in Congress, who shared it on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive documents.

And that’s what is new, the actual news—There are whistleblowers at ICE. AND, someone in Congress (I assume a Dem) has been working with them.

It’s been behind the scenes till now, but something’s changed and now we get to hear about it.

That’s huge. That’s the story. And that gives me hope. Not everyone who is privy to this violation of human rights is on board. The administration can try to keep us as much in the dark as possible, but they’re crossing lines and people are speaking out. That matters.

And it’s good to know that it’s not just a theory anymore. We now know for a fact that they have explicitly been told to break the law. Yes, we suspected that, but knowing for sure is different.

I don’t like the headline. It’s incredibly misleading, and lead to so much disinformation and panic (over something we already knew was happening) on social media. But the actual news? Having a whistleblower, willing to share this memo? Knowing that whoever is working on this in Congress feels confident enough to share the info with AP?

This is a call to action. This administration TACOS when they get caught. We need to post every example of this happening, post the law that makes it illegal over and over again. We have the power to make this whistle mean something.

So take a deep breath, ignore the false implications of the headline, and let’s get to work!

And hopefully these stories will help remind you how much power we have.

Seattle, Washington

Thu, Jan 15 - I know everyone has been focusing on Mayor Mamdani and Governor Spanberger’s executive orders, but I want to bring your attention to Seattle’s new mayor, Katie Wilson.

She announced two executive orders last week. The first will expand affordable and temporary housing. They will do this by finding city owned property and land that can be turned into housing. They will also be working with mental health organizations to make these transitions as successful as possible.

Dr. Kelly Kinnison, CEO, King County Regional Homelessness Authority said:

Expanding emergency shelter at the scale of the homelessness crisis requires close coordination across city and county partners and a willingness to prioritize people over bureaucracy. Mayor Wilson’s leadership reflects a clear commitment to removing unnecessary barriers so we can deliver more shelter quickly and safely.

The second executive order will create a bus lane on Denny Way, which will not only help improve public transportation in the city, but also help them reach their climate goals faster.

Angela Brady, PE, Interim SDOT Director:

We’re eager to take this step toward enhancing the reliability and efficiency for the thousands of transit riders counting on Route 8 along Denny Way every day. Our team is fully committed to Mayor Wilson’s vision of supporting world-class transit in Seattle and to engaging with the community as we advance this important project.

Seattle is already an incredibly blue city, but there are still things that could make it better, and Mayor Wilson got on that immediately.

Seeing this, is a reminder that it’s important to vote in primaries, especially when the primary will decide the general election, and it is making me feel less Doomed. I’m sure there are more examples of executive orders like this that I don’t even know yet.

Maine

Sat, Jan 17 - Before ICE started their newest illegal operation, they sent a request to the state for Maine license plates to help them hide their identity while kidnapping people.

Secretary of State, Shenna Bellows refused. She released a statement saying:

The Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles received a request for confidential, undercover Maine license plates from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. These requests in light of rumors of ICE deployment to Maine and abuses of power in Minnesota and elsewhere raise concerns. We have not revoked existing plates but have paused issuance of new plates. We want to be assured that Maine plates will not be used for lawless purposes.

And I wouldn’t be surprised if existing plates are revoked soon as well.

Reminder that this is the power of voting. In Maine, Secretary of State isn’t an elected position, it’s voted on by the state legislature, so it’s yet another reason that state level elections matter.

She’s also running for Governor, so keep an eye on how she handles this illegal operation.

And I feel less Doomed seeing how she jumped on this before agents were even in the state.

Utah

Wed, Jan 21 - There’s yet another group of bills designed to take rights away from trans Utahans. So, a group of about 60 protesters marched through the Capitol earlier this week.

The most concerning bill is HB 183, which would remove anti-discrimination protections for trans individuals, by replacing every instance of the word “gender” with “sex” in government documents. Rep Sahara Hayes, the only queer member of the Utah House said that it’s “possibly the most egregious anti-trans bill that I’ve seen being run by the state at all.”

The protest was organized by local drag artist and activist Veronika DaVil who told Q Salt Lake, “We’re here because trans people are continuously being attacked in Utah and across the country. Frankly, we’ve had enough,”

Ben Winslow, reporter for KSTU FOX 13 posted video of the joyous protest all over social media:

As long as we keep fighting, as long as we don’t accept their bigotry, We’re NOT Doomed.

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So that’s just some of what’s making me feel less Doomed today. I hope it can do the same for you.

Our voices are our superpower, but only when we use them!