Civics 6/17

Tuesday, June 17, 2025

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News and information about politics, government, civic participation and engagement from URL Media's network of Black and Brown publishers.

Good evening. The weekend saw a historic series of nationwide marches against numerous harmful federal policies, but also the killing of two Democratic state lawmakers in Minnesota in what is being called a political attack. Also, Trump’s bullying of undocumented migrants is not the only policy impacting people born in other nations. He has also instituted a travel ban on multiple nations in Africa and the Middle East, possibly having global repercussions. Plus, as always, we’re bringing you the latest updates at url-media.com as events unfold. Have a question? Write to us at [email protected].

Credit: Aaron Nesheim|Sahan Journal

As Minnesota demonstrators made their voices heard regarding the far-right takeover of the federal government and its policies, officials must now prepare a murder case against the man accused in two politically motivated attacks that targeted Democratic politicians in the state on Saturday. One shooting left a state legislator and her husband dead; the other seriously injured another lawmaker and his wife. 

More than 25,000 people came to the state capitol in St. Paul to join in the nationwide “No Kings” protests against Trump policies that millions participated in. Sahan Journal reports participants were warned against attending as authorities searched for the man they believed to fatally shot Democratic Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband. Sen John Hoffman and his wife were also victims of the early June 14 attack, were hospitalized.

Vance Boetler, 57, known as a right-wing sympathizer, but who had also been a Minnesota political appointee under Gov. Tim Walz, was taken into custody late Sunday, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune. He was charged with two counts each of second-degree murder in the shootings of House DFL leader Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark; and second-degree attempted murder in the shootings of state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette.

In speaking with reporters early Monday, Gov. Tim Walz called it “a moment in this country where we watched violence erupt.”“This cannot be the norm” he said. “It cannot be the way that we deal with our political differences. Now is the time for us to recommit to the core values of this country.”Read more at Sahan Journal.

The Trump administration’s crackdown on undocumented people continues to impact those who come to America, but his travel ban is having the same effect on Black migrants as well, according to Capital B.

This is, of course, as Trump ordered National Guard troops and Marines to occupy downtown Los Angeles in response to mall protests against ICE raids in Southern California. The action sparked nationwide demonstrations.

Trump’s ban went into effect June 9, and citizens of Afghanistan, Chad, Eritrea, Equatorial Guinea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, the Republic of the Congo, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen are affected. There are also increased restrictions on citizens of Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan who are outside of the U.S. and do not hold a visa.People in these countries are largely Black and Middle Eastern people facing war and conflict who now are barred from seeking American asylum. Trump’s 2017 ban, which focused on majority-Muslim nations, was lifted in 2021 by President Biden. This ban has watchers believing there will be an effect around the world.“This is going to have a global impact, as well, on our reputation in the world,” immigration lawyer Mariam Masumi Daud told NPR. “And we’re basically closing our doors for immigrants, and it’s very unfortunate that this type of policy has become normalized.”Read more at Capital B.

A Republican lawmaker drew criticism after her comments about a chaplain who was visiting the U.S. Capitol. AsAm News reports that Rep. Mary Miller of Illinois made the remark about Giani Surinder Singh, who was invited to Congress to conduct the House prayer. 

“It’s deeply troubling that a Muslim was allowed to lead prayer in the House of Representatives this morning. This should never have been allowed to happen,” Miller wrote on X. “America was founded as a Christian nation, and I believe our government should reflect that truth, not drift further from it. May God have mercy!”

However, Miller apparently did not realize that Singh is not Muslim. He is Sikh, a faith with roots in 15th-century India. He is the leader of the Gurdwara South Jersey Sikh Center in Vineland, N.J. He was invited to be guest chaplain by GOP Rep. Jeff Van Drew, according to the Cherry Hill Courier Post.

Miller reportedly saw her mistake and deleted her post, but then wrote another one replacing the word Muslim with Sikh. But that didn’t stop the backlash against her bigotry.“I am appalled by Rep. Mary Miller’s comments — first misidentifying a Sikh chaplain as Muslim, then saying he should have ‘never been allowed’ to lead the House in prayer. Her remarks were both anti-Sikh and anti-Muslim, and they reflect a disturbing pattern of religious intolerance,” Illinois Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi told Chicago station WFLD.

At least one Republican agreed with Krishnamoorthi. “Throughout the country — and in the Central Valley — Sikh-Americans are valued and respected members of our communities, yet they continue to face harassment and discrimination,” said Rep. David Valadao, whose California district has a sizable Sikh population.Read more at AsAm News.

Despite the assault by the far right on human rights, members of the LGBTQ community who are seeking support in New York City have places to go. Documented has published a list of resources for same-gender loving or transgender people who need hormone replacement therapy, mental health help, or even social support for name or pronoun changes.

For transgender people who need care, there are places like the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center, which can help find affordable insurance plans; or the Callen-Lorde Community Health Center, which specializes in multiple services to members of this community.

The Brooklyn Community Pride Center opens its doors to LGBTQ people who need mental or emotional health services. There are also a number of mental health hotlines for people in the community. Among them are:

Also, the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund, and the Sylvia Rivera Law Project, give legal assistance to transgender people who need aid in multiple categories, ranging from immigration to incarceration.

Check out Documented for a complete list of the available resources in New York.

Check out our Currency of Impact dashboard, a new tool designed to revolutionize media buying conversations and put community impact on the foreground. Dive into our impact tracker and case studies highlighting demonstrated impact across the URL Media network. This project was co-produced with the Reynolds Journalism Institute. Visit it here.