
ICE can’t function without help from the private sector. So we should force the private sector to stop helping. Read the full article at The Nation

ICE can’t function without help from the private sector. So we should force the private sector to stop helping. Read the full article at The Nation
To: UC President James B. Milliken, the Regents of the University of California, and Governor Gavin Newsom:
We, a network of alumni and friends of the University of California, call on UC’s President and Regents to vigorously and publicly defend the core values that make higher education a cornerstone of American democracy: academic freedom, learning and inquiry free from undue government interference, and educational opportunity for all.
The Trump administration’s escalating campaign against American colleges and universities threatens not only these values but the very foundation of higher education itself. Its goal is not legitimate government oversight, but rather to reshape the core functions of higher education — including admissions, hiring, governance, and curriculum — in order to impose control over what people are allowed to study, write, say, think, and do.
While a handful of elite private universities draw the most headlines, all of higher education is under siege, including our internationally renowned UC system. Among American universities, UC uniquely expresses our nation’s democratic promise. The University of California serves more low-income and first-generation students than any other top-ranked university in the nation, and these graduates go on to power California’s hospitals, schools, businesses, local governments, and cultural institutions, driving the fifth largest economy in the world.
No university is immune to the effects of this administration’s attacks. UC must stand united with the broader higher education community and resist political coercion. This is not the time to stay silent or stand alone.
Specifically, we ask that you:
1) Publicly reaffirm UC’s commitment to free expression, academic independence, and the university’s mission to advance knowledge without political interference.
2) Reject and resist any illegitimate federal pressure to control curricula and hiring, suppress faculty or student speech, or alter admissions or governance policies.
3) Join peer institutions to form a united front defending higher education from politically motivated attacks.
4) Maintain transparency and accountability with alumni, students, faculty, staff, and the broader public about how UC is addressing these threats.
Decades from now, let the University of California be remembered for standing firm for higher education’s mission and values, for all members of its community, and for the democratic freedoms it was founded to uphold.
Sincerely,
UC Unbowed, and our allies and supporters across California and the country, including:
Ginny Browne, UC Santa Barbara and UCLA alum
Joan Cardellino, UC Berkeley alum
Carlos Davidson, UC Berkeley and UC Davis alum
Ruth Tenzer Feldman, UCLA grandparent
Donna Graves, UC Santa Cruz and UCLA alum
Carrie Guerriero, UC Berkeley alum
Janet Kodish, UC Santa Cruz alum; UC retiree
Nora Privitera, UC ally
Gwen Rino, UC Berkeley Extension alum
Ron Rothbart, UC Berkeley alum
The Trump Administration is trying to place the University of California under political control. Join with UC Unbowed to tell President James Milliken, the UC Regents, and Gov. Newsom to protect UC’s academic freedom and independence from the federal government.
Please sign and share this petition link with UC alums, allies of the University of California, and anyone across the country you think will add their name now to stand up for campus freedom:
At the start of 2025, some people questioned whether the resistance was dead. They doubted that Trump’s authoritarian agenda would be met with defiance and backlash. You proved them wrong.
Not only are people showing up to defend their neighbors and our democracy, they’re doing so in historic numbers. The number of local Indivisible groups has doubled and the overall size of our movement has quadrupled. And after a year of facing mounting grassroots backlash, the regime is flailing.
Trump is at his lowest point of popularity. His sycophants and enablers are losing election after election. Some of his staunchest supporters are abandoning ship. The momentum is on our side and the regime knows it.
But to get to this point, our movement had to adapt. We expanded our toolbelt of tactics, developed new skills, and massively scaled up our organizing. This was only possible because of people like you — folks who show up to protests, sign up to host events, write letters and make calls to their reps, donate when they can, organize with their local Indivisible groups, and take on leadership roles in their communities.
As we reflect on this year and prepare for 2026, we want to thank you for your support and dedication and share some of the new programs and tactics we’ve been able to deploy with your help.
Protest has always been one of Indivisible’s tactics, but we’ve never pulled it off at the scale we have this year. From Hands Off in April to No Kings in June and October, we worked with a broad coalition to bring millions of people out into the streets to remind Trump — and the rest of the country — that power belongs with the people.
Traditionally Indivisible’s advocacy at the national level has been focused on Members of Congress, with groups building their own campaigns around local office holders. But with Trump sidelining Congress this year, we’ve had to build campaigns around any levers of resistance available — often state legislatures and attorneys general. Using new email and call tools, Indivisibles sent tens of thousands of messages to their state and local officials demanding they fight back against ICE in their neighborhoods and counter the regime’s gerrymandering at the state level.
We know from history that autocrats do not rule on their own — they rely on the support or complicit acquiescence of businesses, universities, law firms, and more. This year, we’ve expanded our organizing to include corporate pressure campaigns targeting Avelo Airlines, ABC, Target, Amazon, Home Depot, and Spotify to push these corporations to stop supporting the regime’s authoritarian policies or pre-emptively folding to its demands.
Indivisibles have also signed up to start hundreds of Courage Collectives — groups that are focused on leveraging their personal networks to push key institutions into non-cooperation with the regime. As alumni, professionals, and members of faith communities, Indivisibles are innovating new ways to chip away at the regime’s support.
Digital organizing has always been part of Indivisible’s work, but social media is increasingly siloed, making it hard to reach those who aren’t already fully in your camp. So this year we massively scaled up our partnership with creators — an effort that’s advanced our campaigns and helped support independent voices online.
Teaming up with more than 80 creators across six different platforms, we reached over 27 million people on social media and generated more than 5.46 million engagements. We mobilized folks to join mass protests, share calls to action, and get out the vote. And in 2026, we’ll continue experimenting with new ways to engage people online and bring them into our movement.
Our work to save democracy includes showing solidarity with those being targeted and harmed by the regime. Earlier this month, Indivisible raised over $140,000 for United We Dream’s effort to protect immigrants under threat by this regime and throughout this year, Indivisible groups hosted hundreds of food drives and mutual aid efforts.
In a true grassroots movement, individual members should have a say in the movement’s priorities, campaigns, and tactics. That’s why we started our What’s the Plan calls this year. Our weekly zoom chats with Leah and Ezra give folks direct access to Indivisible’s leadership and real-time accountability with participants able to ask and up-vote any question, including questions critiquing campaigns and tactics, for them to answer. These calls will continue next year
At the start of the year, we knew this movement would play a pivotal role in the fight against authoritarianism. Still, we’re blown away by the level of commitment and dedication every Indivisible has shown throughout a difficult year. We’ll have more opportunities for action in the new year, but right now we want to express our gratitude.
In solidarity,
Indivisible Team
Spotify is running ads recruiting agents for ICE. Indivisible is asking every listener and artist to take four key actions.
Spotify claims these ads comply with their policy, but the truth is streaming hate is not neutral.
It’s a choice. Refuse to fund it. Refuse to ignore it.

Go to Indivisible’s Cancel Spotify page and learn more.