| Hi Fellow Democrats,
The story of Paola and Adrian Clouatre is exactly why we're fighting so hard to push back against the cruelty of Donald Trump and the GOP. Paola was brought to the US by her mother when she was a child, more than a decade ago. Now she's a mother of a 2-year old son and a 3-month-old daughter and married to a Marine veteran. She was seeking a green card to do her best to navigate a broken immigration system, until ICE decided that ripping her away from her family was necessary in order to meet Stephen Miller's arbitrary quota of 3,000 detentions per day.
Remember that Donald Trump intentionally sabotaged a bipartisan immigration bill last year, which would have increased border enforcement, introduced stricter asylum procedures and created legal options for people just like Paola, who the overwhelming majority of Americans do not want to see ripped away from her family and deported to a dangerous country she barely remembers. Cruelty is the point, and it's all to divide and distract us.
Meanwhile, the GOP budget would make corporations and billionaires even richer at the expense of working families. Even their plans to raid popular social safety net programs like Medicaid and food assistance won't stop this bill from leaving future generations with unbearable debt. So where are the Democrats and why aren't they fighting back? Well, we're right here in DuPage County, and we're fighting back as hard as we can every single day. We won all 49 local races with a Democrat on the ballot on April 1, ensuring that its Democrats who protect senior services and administer food pantries to support DuPage residents in need. We've led numerous protests, and we're organizing for the important work of electing good leaders in 2026 up and down the ballot. Our local Democratic leaders are doing a great job in office, as well. Democratic County Board Chair, Deb Conroy, helped block an effort to raid DuPage County to close Chicago's massive transit shortfall: "The Senate plan steals $72 million in DuPage tax revenue, imposes a local real estate transfer tax with no oversight from the county, and taxes suburban commuters," said Conway. And a new Crisis Recover Center will open in DuPage in August, which will provide immediate, comprehensive support during mental health or substance use crises. Thank you to those who have been protesting, volunteering and supporting our work to fight back right here in DuPage County. Now is the time to turn your anger into action. Below are some ways that you can commit to helping right now. | 
