Keeping Score: Voters Disapprove of Kristi Noem and ICE; Winter Olympics Nears Gender Parity

In every issue of Ms., we track research on our progress in the fight for equality, catalogue can’t-miss quotes from feminist voices and keep tabs on the feminist movement’s many milestones. We’re ** Keeping Score** online, too—in this biweekly roundup.

Lest We Forget

“My students have more courage than every member of this committee. Some of them crossed a desert, waded through rivers, faced indignities and danger that we can only imagine, all to have the chance to sit in my classroom and dream.

“My students’ stories have power. Not to move you—because if your heart has not been moved by the sight of a blue bunny hat or teargas being deployed on schoolbuses, or the federal government shooting a man ten times in the back, then I’m afraid a few more sad stories will not fix that.“

No, I share my students’ stories to shame you. Shame on you for your silence. Shame on you for your inaction. Shame on you for your cowardice. I encourage you, GOP senators: Say something, anything.“

—Mandi Jung, testifying in front of the[Minnesota Education Finance committee]on the horrors her immigrant students and their families have experienced.

“The case has its genesis in the ill-conceived and incompetently-implemented government pursuit of daily deportation quotas, apparently even if it requires traumatizing children. Apparent also is the government’s ignorance of an American historical document called the Declaration of Independence.

“Civics lesson to the government: Administrative warrants issued by the executive branch to itself do not pass probable cause muster. That is called the fox guarding the henhouse. Observing human behavior confirms that for some among us, the perfidious lust for unbridled power and the imposition of cruelty in its quest know no bounds and are bereft of human decency.”

—Judge Fred Biery in his order torelease 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramosand his father from immigration detention.

“America has long stood as the land of opportunity, where hard work opened the door to a better life for you and your family. The SBA’s decision to deny hard-working legal immigrants the capital they need to start or grow a business will effectively lock millions of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) families out of the American Dream. This cruel decision is rooted in xenophobia and will only weaken our economy, hurt job creation, and stifle the spirit of entrepreneurship that makes our country great.”

—Rep. Grace Meng (D-N.Y.), chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), spoke out after the Small Business Administration (SBA)announced they will deny legal permanent residents from accessing SBA loans starting in March.

“Kristi Noem sees immigrants like me as subhuman. The chaos at DHS is a testament to Noem’s failed leadership and the hate in her heart. She’s given the orders that have forced children to live in fear, torn apart families, and traumatized communities. We must put an immediate stop to DHS’ cruelty, and that starts with impeaching Kristi Noem.”—

Santiago Mayer, executive director of Voters of Tomorrow.

“Secretary Kristi Noem’s tenure has been defined by tactics rooted in fear, impunity and a dangerous abuse of power—emboldening federal immigration agents to operate without restraint. Across the country, families are being forced into the shadows as their communities become ground zero for political theater that has real and devastating consequences. What we are witnessing goes far beyond immigration policy; it is a full-blown civil rights crisis. Children have been wrongfully detained, families torn apart, lives lost, and DHS continues to act with unchecked force—creating a dark and dangerous moment for our nation that impacts everyone, regardless of immigration status.”—

Voto Latino statement against DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, alongside a broad coalitioncalling for her impeachment.

“It’s been a hard time for the [LGBTQ] community overall in this administration. It isn’t the first time that we’ve had to come together as a community and try and fight for our human rights. And now especially, it’s not just affecting the queer community but many other communities, and I think that we are able to support each other in a way that we didn’t have to before and because of that it’s made us a lot stronger.

“I hope I can use my platform and my voice throughout these games to try and encourage people to stay strong in these hard times. I know that a lot of people will say, ‘You’re just an athlete. Stick to your job. Shut up about politics,’ but politics affects us all.”—

U.S. figure skaterAmber Glenn spoke outagainst the Trump administration ahead of the Olympics, and received a backlash of hate on social media. Glenn is the first openly queer woman to represent U.S. figure skating at the Olympics, and won a gold medal in the team event.

“Hardworking Americans earn their Social Security and retirement benefits, and now Donald Trump and his administration are hell-bent on taking them away. Trump’s lackeys have slipped up again and again— admitting that raising the retirement age or eliminating Social Security is their end goal. Trump will take every opportunity to sell out everyday Americans as he rips away retirement benefits, health care, and food assistance and secures massive tax cuts for his wealthy donors and billionaire corporations.”

—DNC Rapid Response Director Kendall Witmer warns of the dangers and broken promises by Trump after Trump ally Larry Kudlowadmitted that the “Trump accounts”are “a backdoor for privatizing Social Security.”

“… What’s landing so hard is realizing we weren’t exaggerating patriarchy’s harm at all—in fact, we were underestimating it. It’s the strange grief of being right about something you hoped you were exaggerating.“

For a split second, I caught myself wondering if we somehow overcorrected, if pushing too hard made things worse, if the backlash is on us. Then I read what’s actually in the Epstein files and that thought doesn’t just collapse instantly, it becomes insane.

“The absurdity of being asked to justify the need for feminism in a world where men in positions of extraordinary power were humiliating themselves for access to a convicted pedophile sex trafficker is almost hard to process. It’s difficult to take critiques of feminism seriously in a world where male solidarity routinely outranks basic moral judgment.”—

Journalist, author and filmmaker Liz Plank, “we are living through the patriarchy’s last tantrum”

Milestones

• A new Kansas law will allow anyone to sue a trans person if they are “aggrieved” from encountering them in a restroom. This “bounty hunter” provision makes bathroom bans even more dangerous for trans and gender-nonconforming people. *The law could be the first to extend a bathroom ban into private buildings. *It also forbids trans people from using correct government IDs.

• A federal jury **ordered Uber to pay $8.5 million**** to a passenger who was raped by a driver.** This precedent could boost the cases of more than 3,000 other victims pursuing sexual assault or misconduct lawsuits against Uber.

• Over **80 gender justice organizations**** urged Congress to exercise its authority to halt ICE deployments and funding and mandate reforms.** “Immigration enforcement is not gender-neutral,” the organizations state. “It targets caregivers, endangers pregnant and postpartum people and traps survivors of violence by making safety pathways feel dangerous.”

• ** The Washington Post laid off almost half their staff, more than 300 people**. This gutted their newsroom, including eliminating its sports, books and international sections.

Journalists of colorappear to have been disproportionately let go.

• An Arizona court struck down several abortion restrictions, including a ban on telemedicine abortion care, medically unnecessary ultrasounds and requirements for two clinic visits.

• Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill threatened to sue California and New York over shield laws that protect abortion providers. In response, California Governor Gavin Newsom told her to “Go fuck yourself.”

• *A judge ruled a lawsuit against Idaho’s abortion bans can proceed to trial. *Maternal-fetal medicine specialist Dr. Stacy Seyb is arguing that abortion is a constitutional right when provided for medical reasons.

“Medically indicated abortions remain constitutionally protected, notwithstanding the fall of Roe, because the right to protect one’s health and life is fundamental. It is unconscionable that Idaho politicians are trying to deny pregnant Idaho residents access to treatment for serious medical conditions,” said Stephanie Toti, executive director of the Lawyering Project.

• A Kentucky couple was **arrested after seeking medical care for a miscarriage**** more than a year ago. They both face charges of reckless homicide**, and the woman is also charged with abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence. They remain in jail, with an arraignment scheduled in early March. This is at least the third recent pregnancy-related arrest in Kentucky.

• Attorney General Pam Bondi **defended the Trump administration’s handling**** of the Epstein files in front of Congress. She repeatedly yelled at Democratic lawmakers and refused to turn and face the victims** seated behind her. Bondi called Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) a “washed-up loser lawyer—not even a lawyer” and made excuses for releasing files that included nude photographs and private information of victims.

• Former CNN anchor Don Lemon and journalist Georgia Fort **were arrested after covering**** an anti-immigration protest at a church**. The White House celebrated and Attorney General Pam Bondi took credit for the arrests on social media.

“You cannot be neutral about the dismantling of our democracy and still expect to be protected by it. If the Constitution fails to protect U.S. citizens, it will fail to protect the media, the free press,” Fort said before her arrest.

• Democratic Representatives on the Ways and Means committee **called for an investigation**** after the IRS leaked the confidential information of 47,000 taxpayers being targeted by DHS** for immigration enforcement. Federal courts have since held that sharing this data violates taxpayers’ rights, and the Representatives warn it will increase fear for undocumented immigrants trying to safely pay taxes.

• The **Trump administration signaled**** that they plan to roll back Affordable Care Act protections** and encourage a shift to plans with higher out-of-pocket costs. It may result in up to 2 million fewer people enrolling in ACA plans in 2027.

+ Harilyn Rousso, a founding member of the U.S. disabled women’s movement, died on Jan. 25 at 79. Rousso, who was a contributor to

Ms., was a writer, painter, educator, social worker, psychotherapist and activist who focused her work on women and girls with disabilities.

“‘Our hope now is that we can stop avoiding difficult issues of being disabled, but that does not mean we have to dwell on them. We must make disability one viable, acceptable, O.K. part of our lives,” Rousso told * The New York Times *in 1984 after a conference conducted by the Networking Project for Disabled Women and Girls, an organization founded by Rousso.

• The SAVE Act passed the House and now heads to the Senate, where it appears unlikely to pass. If the bill does become law, it would require increased documentation and proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections. Women may face disproportionate challenges to vote, especially those who have changed their name, are experiencing poverty or live in rural communities.

• The U.S. women’s Olympics hockey team **declined President Trump’s invitation**** to the State of the Union**. Despite both the women’s and men’ s teams winning gold, Trump joked with the men’s team that he had to invite the women, or risk being impeached.

• March 28 will be the next No Kings Day, with a central protest in Minneapolis echoed by other nonviolent demonstrations across the U.S.

The map for No Kings Day just went live with nearly 600 peaceful protests planned across all 50 states (including our flagship event in the Twin Cities). Find your local protest or start a new No Kings event if there’s currently nothing planned near you: www.nokings.org?SQF_SOURCE=i…

— Indivisible ❌👑 ([[image or embed]][@indivisible.org])[February 17, 2026 at 1:11 PM]

How We’re Doing

• Sixty-three percent of U.S. voters **disapprove of how ICE is enforcing**** immigration laws**, and 59 percent say the killings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti are a sign of broader problems in how they’re operating.

• Fifty-eight percent of voters think Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem should be removed from the job. Just 35 percent think the Trump administration’s immigration tactics are making the country more safe.

• President Trump **appointed no women of color**** to federal judgeships in his first year in office.** Sixty-three percent of the judges he has appointed are white men, and just a quarter are white women.

• *A congressional report found that some federal prisons and immigration detention centers * do not properly provide menstrual products. ICE standards are particularly inconsistent, and they refused to commit to following policy in their centers.

Many facilities limit the number of supplies to an inadequate 12-20 per month, and provide low-quality products. Incarcerated women have reported needing to use six pads at a time to prevent bleeding through clothes, or being forced to make their own supplies from unsanitary materials like dirty rags.

• Delivery delays** by the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) are impacting rural and local publishers. In 2025 about 20 percent of periodicals were delivered late**, up from 15 percent in 2024. For small publishers, the loss of subscribers that don’t get their publications on time can be devastating. Rural communities are particularly harmed by new policies that prioritize regional sorting facilities.

• A wave of “common sense” candidates, more than half women, recently **won competitive school board races**** in swing states**. Sixty-two percent of “extremist” candidates lost their elections, showing that culture war tactics like book bans may no longer resonate with local voters.

• The Winter Olympics in Milan were the **most gender-balanced in history***.* Women made up 47 percent of athletes, and the U.S. team included 115 women and 117 men. There were also several new women’s events, but some sports still do not give women an equal opportunity to compete.

• American women won more golds and more medals overall than American men in Milan, for the third straight Winter Olympics. In the summer Games, U.S. women athletes have outscored men the past four times. This success is likely due to Title IX providing equal opporutntiies for girls and women in sports.