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.American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten promoted a nationwide Target boycott over the retailer’s response to ICE operations.(Photo by Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)WATCH: WEINGARTEN GESTURES WILDLY DURING ANTI-TRUMP RANT, LATER SAYS HE DRIVES HER TO DRINKCorey 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 ...