The Reuters news agency reported on Monday that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed it has begun deploying hundreds of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to assist in security at airports facing significant staffing issues.
ICE agents were deployed at over twelve major travel hubs across the country, with agents seen in Atlanta, San Francisco, New York, and New Jersey. This comes as Donald Trump has threatened further action against everyday working-class people. Posed as a way to expedite lines at airports, ICE agents can be seen patrolling airports rather than processing security lines.
ICE agents are not trained to handle security at airports, unlike the thousands of TSA agents who show up to work every day. With this news to come, many are in fear of targeted harassment across the United States.
The Trump administration is calling for democrats to open the government, which has been holding out in an attempt to restrict funding of DHS. The truth is that Democrats are not the majority; they are not in control to pass legislation allowing the government to fully reopen after a partial shutdown when a funding bill was not passed.
On January 29, 2026, the Senate failed to advance the government funding package in a 45–55 vote. Seven Republicans joined all Democrats in opposing the bill.
Threads / Kevin Ortega-Rojas @hereswhykevinThreads / Kevin Ortega-Rojas @hereswhykevinThreads / Kevin Ortega-Rojas @hereswhykevinThreads / Kevin Ortega-Rojas @hereswhykevin
Many people underestimate the power of music. Melodies that raise the hairs on your arms. Beats that sync up with your heart. Words that feel like they could have come from your own brain. Music is made with the intention to make you feel something. Whether it be the pain the musician is going through, the joy they’re experiencing, or the hope they are trying to inspire, they want to stir the listener’s emotions, hoping you feel the way they felt while creating their masterpiece.
For times of resistance, there is protest music. These compositions are made to keep you going, even when it feels like the fight is impossible. That music is made to help you feel less alone in your fight; to let you know that there are others in this journey with you. When everything around you feels like it’s falling apart and no one is noticing, resistance songs are there to let you know that you aren’t crazy.
Protest music and resistance songs aren’t new. In fact, they’ve been around for centuries. In 1774, Dr. Joseph Warren wrote “Free Americay”, a popular song for the American Revolution against British tyranny. “Woodman, Spare That Tree!” by Henry Russell in 1837 was one of the first songs used to help advocate for environmentalism. The Hutchinson Family Singers created “Get Off The Track!”, a ballad that called for emancipation in 1844. A Pro-Suffrage song named “The Suffrage Flag” was written in 1884 by William. P. Atkinson proclaimed how much better the world would be when women were granted the right to vote (which wouldn’t happen for another 3 decades). Joe Hill, a labor activist, wrote “The Preacher and the Slave” in 1911 as a condemnation of the Salvation Army. There were songs that helped enslaved people find their way to freedom. Songs to reconnect those kidnapped people with the cultures they were robbed of, or deal with the grief of the family members they lost. These few songs are just a fraction of the protest music that emerged in the centuries leading up to the 21st, and every single one of them was important in its time. Some are still pertinent to the world we live in. (source)
Cover depicts a gentleman talking to a farmer holding an axe underneath a large tree. The farmer’s house and water well are visible. Russell, Henry, 1812-1900 (Composer) Morris, George P. (Lyricist)
Songs of resistance are still being made today. Music that tackles issues like women’s rights, healthcare reformation, and pushing back against harmful governments is alive and well in 2026. The main problem is that the musicians who create them are often overlooked in favor of popular mainstream artists whose only goal is to make another hit. Many radio stations stick to the fun songs, the dance tracks, the ballads about ex-lovers; anything that is deemed safe for the general population and won’t rock the boat with the people in charge.
Luckily, we no longer need to rely on radio stations that handpick the “more palatable” songs in an effort to keep us under a false sense of security or placate the conservative powers-that-be. We live in a modern age where we can discover new music from around the world and create our own playlists that reflect how we actually feel. Here are 5 songs for you to add to your modern resistance collection.
“Labour” by Paris Paloma Hard hitting lyrics: “All day, every day, therapist, mother, maid Nymph, then a virgin, nurse, then a servant Just an appendage, live to attend him So that he never lifts a finger 24/7 baby machine So he can live out his picket-fence dreams It's not an act of love if you make her You make me do too much labour”
“Take My Country Back” by Enter Shikari Hard hitting lyrics: “Get up, get up and feel the rising tide I’m fed up, fed up with all the cyanide. Don’t want to take my country back I want to take my country forward”
“Dead Men Don’t Rape” by Delilah Bon Hard hitting lyrics: “They get so offended when I say Dead men don't rape But where is their anger when I say Women are women are women are dying”
“THREAT LEVEL ORANGE” by Earth to Eve Hard hitting lyrics: “Ain't it obvious The person in the office is A racist Bride came in the mail, but he opposes immigration That's someone's abuelita Not a foreign armed invasion That would be the masked men raiding graduation ceremonies Unmarked vans snatching people off the street Broke amendments5, 10 and 14 At least But please, tell me again how this is still democracy”
“G-U-I-L-L-O-T-I-N-E” by HummusVacuum Hard hitting lyrics: “G-u-i-l-l-o-t-i-n-e Yeah, what might seem barbaric is a last resort to me ‘Cus we waited for our crumbs to trickle down so patiently And now we get to cosplay like it's 1933”
Protest music hasn’t gone anywhere. Sometimes you just need to search a little harder to find it. When you do, let the beat lead your steps. Let the words give you the courage to continue the fight. Let the songs of resistance deliver the message that you, and we, are not alone in this revolution.
Amid widespread resident outrage over a warehouse sale, New Jersey residents stand against ICE in Roxbury. DG Roxbury Property Owner, L.P., linked to Dallas-based Dalfen Industrial and a Goldman Sachs asset management fund, sold a 470,000-square-foot warehouse at 1879 Route 46 in Roxbury to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for ICE. The deal closed on February 19, 2026, for $129.3 million, raising concerns about the local community’s future and the influence of corporate and financial interests. The protest drew over 150 people from Roxbury and neighboring towns. With signs held up that said NO ICE and referencing the disgraced Trump admin as equal to nazis many spoke up for what they believed in.
Credit: No ICE North Jersey Alliance. Aerial view of the Roxbury warehouse sold to ICE.
Roxbury Township in Morris County, NJ, is a suburban area with about 23,111 residents as of 2023 and an average age of 43.3. The community is mostly white, comprising roughly 71-80% of the population, and has a median household income of over $130,000. The poverty rate is low, at approximately 5.4%.
The call is clear: get ICE out of New Jersey. The GSA, which oversees the sale and leasing of property, has been contacted and requested documents related to the sale of the warehouse. The agency responded to the request and alerted The Penny Tribune that they will try to release the documents pertaining to another property in Roseland, NJ, as well as the detention facility in Newark, NJ. The GSA confirmed this on February 19th 2026, they would release the files.
A video submitted by a protester shows them walking up to the group of people. A line formed along the street as drivers passed by, witnessing their community standing up for the non-citizen population.
Following a chaotic morning shooting on Kings Road, Roxbury residents are demanding answers. Between a controversial 470,000-square-foot warehouse proposal and increased ICE activity across NJ
“I was born here, but I’m still nervous. It does not go by me every day to think that I could be stopped,” Roxbury Township resident Sharon Medina said at Tuesday night’s meeting.
ICE has been targeting New Jersey since July of 2025, and residents are fed up. On February 10th, 2026, around 7 am, a shooting occurred in Roxbury, NJ, on Kings Road across from the historic train station.
“I saw a video earlier today where the gentleman was not in a car and there was a gun drawn facing him in the street in our area,” resident Diana May said
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) says an ICE officer shot out the tires of a vehicle that rammed a law enforcement vehicle during an immigration arrest on Tuesday in Roxbury. According to a DHS spokesperson, federal agents were conducting a planned operation to take Jesus Fabian Lopez-Banegas into custody.
“In an attempt to evade arrest, Lopez-Banegas rammed into a law enforcement vehicle and weaponized his vehicle in an attempt to run an officer over,” the DHS statement said.
“We recognize that matters of this nature raise concerns within our communities,” Davenport’s statement continued. “Public safety remains our top priority. As Acting Attorney General for the State of New Jersey, it is my duty to protect the safety of residents of this state and uphold the Constitution. I will do everything in my power to fulfill this responsibility.”
ICE has been spotted in Hoptacong, NJ, multiple times over the past few days. Video evidence shows ICE performing vehicle stops in neighborhoods, stoking fear amongst residents.
On February 10th, around 6pm, ICE vehicles were spotted being transported westbound on Route 80. DHS has not disclosed the vehicles’ destinations, and the department has refused to comment on the activity.
The protests in Roxbury, New Jersey, were triggered by reports that the federal government plans to convert a massive local warehouse into an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) processing facility.
The controversy began in late December 2025 and continued into January 2026 after The Washington Post reported leaked Department of Homeland Security (DHS) documents. These documents identify a 470,000-square-foot warehouse on Route 46 as a possible site to hold up to 1,500 detainees. Many protesters contend that warehouses are meant for “packages, not people,” pointing out issues such as inadequate ventilation, lack of natural light, and poor sanitation. Local residents and the all-Republican town council are worried about the impact on infrastructure, including water supplies, sewers, and emergency services like police and fire. On January 13, 2026, Roxbury’s town council unanimously adopted a resolution firmly opposing the facility.
The Legal Battle
Although New Jersey enacted a law in 2021 that prevents towns and counties from contracting with ICE, private companies such as Dalfen Industrial, owner of the Roxbury warehouse, can still collaborate with the federal government. Protesters are now urging the town to utilize zoning ordinances and land-use laws to block the facility, contending that, despite the federal government’s “supremacy,” private corporations are still required to adhere to local building and safety regulations.
Getting Involved
Protests will continue, and on Presidents Day 2026, a protest will take place at Ledgewood Commons in Ledgewood, NJ.
The flyer distributed by the activist group No Ice Roxbury is as follows.
