Rolling anti-ICE demonstrations planned for President Trump’s birthday are sparking controversy amid rising public outrage over mass deportations. One of these events is receiving financial backing from a union that benefits from taxpayer money and appears to have a vested interest in challenging immigration enforcement efforts.
The AFL-CIO, America’s largest federation of labor unions, is the leading sponsor of the “No Kings” rally scheduled for Saturday, June 14, with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz slated to headline the event. While the union is widely recognized for its alignment with Democratic causes, what often goes unnoticed is the influx of federal funds it receives indirectly.
A non-governmental organization known as the Solidarity Center functions as a form of diplomatic outreach for the U.S. government, having received at least $72 million in federal funding between 2022 and 2023. DataRepublican, who investigates ties between progressive activist networks, coordinated demonstrations, and federal entities, was the first to expose the link between the Solidarity Center and the AFL-CIO.
Union records from 2022 reveal that it obtained nearly as much from the federal government—$69 million—as it did from membership dues, which totaled only $34 million. The Solidarity Center describes itself on its website as an “independent, global human rights and democracy organization,” distancing itself from the AFL-CIO’s progressive agenda.
Mike Benz, who previously led the Foundation for Freedom Online, warned earlier this year that taxpayer funds sent to the Solidarity Center would likely be funneled into AFL-CIO activities—an assertion that now appears to be coming true with the rally in St. Paul.
“One of the main things I think is likely to destabilize the U.S…. rent-a-riot, pop-up protests that can completely destabilize a country,” he said in a March interview. “When workers are walking out, they’re blocking the highways, they’re provoking the police, so you’re left with either authoritarian crackdowns or [a] police precinct burns to the ground, as what happened in Minneapolis.”
Benz has examined both liberal and conservative organizations, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, that have allegedly made use of hired protestors in recent years, particularly during the 2020 election cycle. He references the National Endowment for Democracy — an organization tied to the CIA that oversees the Solidarity Center — and its involvement in orchestrated opposition demonstrations in Belarus targeting the right-wing government of Aleksandr Lukashenko.
“Bluntly: AFL-CIO is one of the key taxpayer-funded organizations in effecting regime change all over the world,” DataRepublican wrote in summary in a lengthy thread on X. “That AFL-CIO is openly involved in sponsoring the No Kings rally should raise extreme concerns as to the rally’s true purpose.”
Democratic-affiliated organizations have also been linked to certain protests in Los Angeles that eventually escalated into violence.
Earlier this week, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) sent a letter to a Los Angeles-based organization that has received tens of millions in federal funds for immigrant resettlement, accusing it of playing a role in organizing several city demonstrations.
Meanwhile, Rep. Nancy Mace (R-NC) has introduced a bill aimed at cutting off federal funds to sanctuary jurisdictions that decline federal assistance in curbing violent protests—similar to those witnessed this week and during the unrest following George Floyd’s death in 2020.
