American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten promoted a nationwide back-to-school boycott of retail giant Target over the weekend because the company had not condemned ICE operations in Minnesota — the location of its headquarters — prompting criticism from education advocates and a call for federal scrutiny.
“We gave Target ample time to stand with the communities in which they operate and help their neighbors, but its silence about federal immigration abuses has been deafening,” Weingarten said in a statement.
“The issue could not be more pressing: 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,” she continued. “That’s why we’re urging our members to avoid Target and patronize more ethical shopping alternatives this back-to-school season.”
Weingarten also shared a video on Instagram, where she directed families to the AFT’s “Shop Smart, Not Target” website, which maps local back-to-school shopping alternatives. The organization launched the campaign Wednesday after sending Target CEO Michael Fiddelke letters in February and March.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, DHS rejected the AFT’s characterization of ICE.
“ICE enforces federal immigration laws, protects public safety, and conducts enforcement pursuant to federal laws and applicable agency policies. Target is not a sensitive location,” an ICE spokesperson said. “However, the current policy provides guidance for officers and recognizes that enforcement actions in or near protected areas require consideration of the circumstances and applicable law. ICE will continue to conduct lawful actions wherever necessary to protect the American people.”
The spokesperson further said that ICE did not target schools and called AFT’s statement a false narrative.
“This is just another false narrative to try and demonize our brave ICE law enforcement, who are facing a 1,300% increase in assaults against them and an 8,000% increase in death threats,” the spokesperson said.
“ICE is not going to schools to arrest children—we are protecting children. Criminals are no longer able to hide in America’s schools to avoid arrest. The Trump Administration will not tie the hands of our brave law enforcement and instead trusts them to use common sense. If a dangerous illegal alien felon were to flee into a school, or a child sex offender is working as an employee, there may be a situation where an arrest is made to protect public safety,” they said.
“ICE’s position remains straightforward: its officers enforce the immigration laws enacted by Congress and carry out the agency’s mission to protect national security and public safety. ICE is engaged in targeted law enforcement operations to apprehend and remove aliens in the country unlawfully and will continue to do so despite grandstanding by politicians and criminal illegal alien supporters,” the spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “Aliens placed into removal proceedings receive due process. Once it is exhausted, ICE carries out the removal order. Dangerous rhetoric from politicians and activists demonizing our brave ICE officers has led to the over 8,000% increase in threats against DHS law enforcement who are heroically performing their congressionally mandated mission to remove criminal illegal aliens from communities across the country.”
Corey DeAngelis, a Heritage Foundation research fellow, told Fox News Digital Sunday that using the organization’s pension influence against Target raised fiduciary concerns and warranted 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,” he said. “The Department of Justice should open an investigation into the AFT using their pension funds and political influence to bully companies into falling in line with their socialist agenda.”
“Urging educators and families to avoid Target is not an appropriate use of the union’s resources or influence,” he added.
This isn’t the AFT’s first time batting against the retail giant.
DeAngelis also supplied Fox News Digital with a chart tracking Target’s closing share price against several AFT actions, including Weingarten’s letters and the organization’s March boycott resolution.
Sonja Shaw, a candidate for California superintendent of public instruction and Chino Valley Unified School District board president, told Fox News Digital on Sunday that labor leaders were prioritizing political power while students continued to struggle academically.
“Teachers’ unions are supposed to fight for teachers. Instead, union leadership has become a political machine obsessed with money, power and influence while our children continue to fall behind,” she said. “In California, more than half our students are not proficient in basic reading and math. When a system produces those results year after year, that isn’t success. That’s education malpractice.”
California’s latest statewide assessments showed 48.8% of students met or exceeded English language arts standards and 37.3% met or exceeded math standards.
The AFT’s March resolution explicitly called the effort a boycott and urged its 1.8 million members, families and allies to avoid Target until the company stood with the Twin Cities.
DeAngelis’ request followed the July appeal by Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., for the Labor Department to investigate whether AFT leaders coordinated with retirement-plan fiduciaries to use members’ assets for political objectives.
House lawmakers separately demanded answers about reports that member dues helped finance Weingarten’s book, “Why Fascists Fear Teachers,” while she received royalties.
Teachers spend an average of $895 of their own money every year on supplies their students need, according to a 2025 teacher spending survey.
Fox News Digital reached out to the AFT and Target for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.