Free DC: Protect Home Rule and Autonomy in Washington, D.C.

WHEREAS, the AFT has publicly supported Washington, D.C.’s autonomy through home rule since at least 1967; and

WHEREAS, the AFT acknowledges that Washington, D.C.’s nearly 700,000 residents have not had a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives or the Senate for over 200 years; and

WHEREAS, the Trump administration, starting in August 2025, has deployed more than 2,600 National Guard troops from more than 10 states to patrol the streets of Washington, D.C., in what amounts to a military occupation of its people; and

WHEREAS, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement have increased extrajudicial immigration arrests in the region to over 20,000 people, causing needless fear in our schools and communities; and

WHEREAS, Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser has been complicit in allowing the Metropolitan Police Department to collaborate with ICE and weaponizing and politicizing the racist dog whistle of the fear of crime in an urban area against her own community members; Washington’s population is roughly 40 percent African American:

RESOLVED, that the AFT will take a clear stance against the military occupation of the District of Columbia and continue to support full autonomy via D.C. statehood; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT will demand the immediate pullout of National Guard troops from the District of Columbia and ceasing of ICE and Department of Homeland Security raids, thereby shielding students, teachers, and community members from the negative psychological and physical trauma of their presence in our streets; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT will expand training for local affiliates on how to defend their school communities living in the shadow of the National Guard and ICE occupation, to better protect our teachers, students and community members from this oppressive situation; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT will educate and engage affiliates about the importance of D.C. statehood and advocate to their members of Congress for legal pathways to do so.

Adopted July 17, 2026