News from AFT Retirees Archive

In her latest column, AFT President Randi Weingarten warns that our democracy is under serious strain as elected officials test the limits of power and threaten fundamental rights. She highlights troubling reports from members about aggressive immigration enforcement and the undermining of civil liberties. Americans are pushing back through protests and by breaking with leaders when necessary, she writes. Weingarten frames this moment as a crucial test of our democratic traditions, and she calls on people to defend freedoms and act before it’s too late.  

 

A Department of Government Efficiency employee improperly shared Social Security data without agency officials’ knowledge and in violation of security protocols, according to a Justice Department court filing this month. The Social Security Administration can’t determine what information was shared or how widely it may have been accessed. In February 2025, the AFT; the Alliance for Retired Americans; and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees filed suit to block DOGE’s access to Americans’ sensitive personal information. “The courts were concerned we didn’t have proof, just fear. Now the government has revealed our fears were justified,” says AFT President Randi Weingarten.

 

 

Across the country, immigration enforcement actions are rapidly expanding in scope, visibility and impact, with profound consequences for students, families, patients and entire communities. The recent killing of U.S. citizens Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Minneapolis has brought renewed national attention to the real and growing human costs of aggressive and insufficiently accountable enforcement practices. Join us Wednesday, Jan. 28, at 6 p.m. EST for a webinar that will examine the current state of immigration enforcement, the implications of these policy shifts, and what they mean in practice for educators, healthcare workers, students and families. It will also highlight the AFT’s response and resources as well as showcase how our locals are showing up in this moment.

 

 

Recently, we have witnessed unconscionable acts of violence by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, including the murders of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis, unjust detention of an AFT-member educator and use of pepper spray on school property. ICE’s reckless operations are threatening the safety and well-being of students, educators and families, and our members are fighting back in a myriad of ways. Sign a petition with Minnesota educators and write to your members of Congress to demand ICE respect sensitive locations and stay away from schools. Photo: Minneapolis Federation of Educators, Local 59