The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) announced a nationwide back-to-school boycott of Target on Sunday, citing the retailer’s perceived silence on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in Minnesota, where Target is headquartered.
The boycott, led by AFT President Randi Weingarten, urges members to avoid Target and instead patronize alternative retailers during the back-to-school shopping season. The campaign, titled “Shop Smart, Not Target,” includes a website mapping local shopping alternatives and was launched after the AFT sent letters to Target CEO Michael Fiddelke in February and March. Weingarten framed the boycott as a response to what she described as federal immigration abuses, stating in a statement: “Seven months since the murders of Alex Pretti and Renée Good, masked ICE agents are still in our streets, our schools and our communities, terrorizing families in the name of Donald Trump’s illegal and immoral assault on immigrants striving for their American Dream.”
Target’s Response
Target has not publicly addressed the AFT’s boycott directly, and the company did not respond to requests for comment by press time. However, ICE provided a statement to Fox News Digital rejecting the AFT’s characterization of its operations. “ICE enforces federal immigration laws, protects public safety, and conducts enforcement pursuant to federal laws and applicable agency policies,” an ICE spokesperson said. “Target is not a sensitive location.”
Criticism and Legal Concerns
Critics of the boycott, including Corey DeAngelis, a research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, raised concerns about potential fiduciary breaches. DeAngelis argued that the AFT’s use of its members’ pension funds—reportedly holding 6.79 million shares of Target stock—to pressure the company could warrant a federal investigation. “This partisan war on Target smells like a breach of fiduciary duty given that AFT members’ pension funds own 6.79 million shares of Target stock, which Weingarten has already leveraged to pressure the company into opposing ICE,” DeAngelis stated.
Background and Context
The AFT’s campaign follows a broader debate over corporate responses to immigration enforcement. The union’s boycott coincides with the back-to-school shopping season, a period of heightened retail activity. The AFT’s website directs families to alternatives, framing the boycott as an ethical choice for educators and parents.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE, has not commented on the boycott but reiterated ICE’s enforcement priorities. The agency’s statement emphasized that ICE operations adhere to federal laws and agency policies, without addressing the AFT’s claims of “terrorizing families.”