Third Act Turns Up the Heat on ICE Affiliations

If every Baby Boomer in the United States were to:

• quit shopping on Amazon;
• stop buying groceries and personal care products at Whole Foods;
• give up the convenience of banking at their neighborhood branch of Wells Fargo;
• and refuse to use the Costco Citibank card when they load up on household supplies

they would generate a major shift in consumer spending in this country — especially once they telegraphed their demands to those corporations’ CEOs.

That is precisely the point of the latest company boycott organized by Third Act, a national nonprofit that works with people over 60 to “safeguard” climate and democracy, a particular focus since President Trump’s second election. Third Act Minnesota is a working group of about 800 members.

 

 

Called “Turn Up the Heat: Melt the Companies That Profit from ICE and DHS,” the boycott is a national campaign that developed local resonance in response to Operation Metro Surge —  the violent occupation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents that began in the Twin Cities in December.

Turn Up the Heat calls upon anyone past middle age to “disentangle your money” from companies that have financial ties with ICE. “This might mean cutting up a credit card, finding a new cell phone service, or choosing to shop locally instead of using Amazon,” the campaign website explains.

Targeted companies in this campaign are Amazon, AT&T, Comcast Corp., Dell, FedEx, Hilton and Marriott hotels, and “big banks” — such as Bank of America, Chase, Citibank and especially Wells Fargo, which Third Act previously has targeted for its support of the fossil-fuel industry.

As explained on the Third Act website: “As older Americans, we hold enormous economic power. Companies count on our loyalty.” Since Valentine’s Day, when the localized campaign began in earnest, Third Act has urged older Minnesotans to avoid supporting companies whose values conflict with their own..

“Elders have something like 80 percent of the wealth in this country,” says Carolyn Ham, a retired attorney and Saint Paul–based Third Act leader. She blogs about climate-focused legislative issues (including data centers and residential plug-in solar panels) for the Third Act Minnesota website. “We have a special responsibility to use our power when we can.”

Campaign Specifics

Co-founded by climate activist Bill McKibben (whose latest book is titled Here Comes the Sun), Third Act mobilizes people over age 60 through community organizing, digital communication, and targeted campaigns.

Third Act prides itself on collaboration, Ham says. Members studied other successful boycotts for ideas about which companies to boycott for Turn Up the Heat. “We reviewed other organizations’ strategies and drew on their insights,” says Mike Johnson, Third Act’s democracy campaigns manager. Among those models were We Ain’t Buying It,  Green America, and Indivisible’s ICE Out for Good.

Research yielded the following information about the targeted companies:

• Amazon: The conglomerate’s web services host Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and ICE data, including “detailed profiles used to track immigrants,” Third Act says. Actions: Unsubscribe from Amazon Prime, Audible, Amazon Music, Prime Video, Amazon Grocery and Kindle Unlimited; in addition, disable and destroy Ring.com surveillance cameras, another Amazon product, from which law enforcement agencies can request footage.
• AT&T: Has a $90.7 million contract with ICE for IT and related products. Action: Cancel AT&T wireless services.
• Comcast Corporation: This umbrella company owns Xfinity and NBCUniversal, among other businesses, and provides internet and cable to ICE and CBP. Actions: Avoid Xfinity and discontinue streaming services with NBC or Universal titles.
• Dell: Has a $18.8 million contract to help ICE’s chief information officer purchase Microsoft 365 Enterprise software licenses. Action: Don’t buy a Dell computer.
• FedEx: Has a $2.3 million contract to provide delivery services for ICE. Action: Cancel FedEx accounts (the former Kinko’s is part of FedEx).
• Hilton and Marriott Bonvoy: Both hotel chains — which have multiple smaller brands, including DoubleTree and Renaissance (check websites) — have provided hospitality to ICE agents in the Twin Cities and elsewhere. Action: Don’t stay in these or any affiliated hotels.

Third Act’s Move Your Money campaign can lead people to what Johnson calls “green” banking options if they have credit cards with the targeted big banks.

Next Steps

• Write a letter to the CEOs of the targeted companies and tell them why they have lost your business. The website offers language suggestions and a portal through which you can submit your letters. As of March, nearly 27,000 letters nationally have been sent.
• Tell others what you’re doing. Shout it out on social media, talk up the campaign at neighborhood meetings and coffee dates with friends, alert your local and state elected officials.

Among Third Action’s working principles: Be kind. Be inclusive. Boost others. Be humble.

If that encourages or inspires you to engage, consult the Third Act “Democracy Can’t Wait” website or visit the Third Act Minnesota contact page.

 

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