Dear SEIU Local 105 family,
I’m writing to you today in a moment of grief, anger, and deep solidarity.
Across the country, working families are reeling from escalating violence and federal overreach carried out by ICE. In Minnesota, the deaths of Alex Pretti, a registered nurse and healthcare worker, and Renee Good, along with countless others harmed in ICE custody and enforcement operations, have shaken communities nationwide. These are not isolated tragedies. They are the result of a system that has normalized intimidation and fear in our neighborhoods, workplaces, and public spaces.
Last Friday, January 23, SEIU members across the country came together for the National Day of Truth and Freedom. Here in Colorado, SEIU Local 105 members joined with Colorado WINS, Together Colorado, CIRC, Working Families Party, UNE, and many other labor and community allies to take action outside Palantir’s Denver headquarters.
We chose to take action at Palantir because corporations like it are quietly playing a central role in this crisis. Palantir holds long-standing, multi-million-dollar contracts with ICE and other federal agencies, providing data analytics and surveillance technology that enables immigration enforcement, tracking, detention, and deportation. While our communities are living in fear, corporations like Palantir are profiting by selling powerful data systems to the federal government with little accountability and no regard for the human cost.
As Palantir builds data networks designed to monitor and target communities, we are building something very different: a network rooted in care, solidarity, and collective protection. Our power comes from people looking out for one another, sharing information, knowing our rights, and refusing to let fear isolate us. That is what we were there to make visible.
More than 100 people showed up to say clearly: our communities are not for sale, and we refuse to accept a system where corporate profit comes before human life and dignity. The action was powerful, disciplined, and grounded in care for one another, and it was covered by local media, including Westword:
You can also see and share photos from the action on Facebook
What’s happening right now
Today and through this weekend, people across the country are mobilizing in what many are calling a “general strike” or “economic blackout.” This looks different for different people and different industries. What it represents is a shared refusal to accept business as usual while our communities are under attack.
Here in Colorado, that pressure is already being felt. Dozens of restaurants and coffee shops across metro Denver have closed for the day to create economic impact and demand accountability. The Denver Post reports on how these actions are part of a broader effort to protect our communities and push back against federal overreach:
Educators across our community are also speaking out about what safety and belonging should mean for every student. The Denver Classroom Teachers Association has shared a statement affirming that schools should be places of learning, safety, and belonging, and that educators, students, and families are taking action in response to what’s happening nationally:
For our members, especially healthcare workers, taking action does not mean putting patients or coworkers at risk. There are many ways to participate and show solidarity, including attending community protests when you are able, speaking out, sharing information, and withholding non-essential purchases as part of broader economic pressure. What matters most is that we act with intention, care, and unity.
What we can do together as a union
Moments like this demand organization, not just outrage. SEIU Local 105 is committed to giving our members concrete ways to engage, protect themselves, and build power.
1) Join COPE (Committee on Political Education)
COPE is how we turn shared values into collective action and real wins for working people. COPE is meeting Wednesday, February 4 at 6:00 PM. Learn more and get involved at:
seiu105.org/cope or email political@seiu105.org
2) Healthcare Workers: Know Your Rights Training (Virtual)
Knowing your rights at work is one of the strongest protections we have, especially in times of uncertainty and fear. We are hosting a Healthcare Workers Know Your Rights training with partner organizations on Wednesday, February 11 at 6:00 PM. This is a virtual Zoom event.
Your Executive Board is actively discussing our strategy and next steps as a union, including how we continue to support and protect our members and respond collectively in this moment. These conversations are focused on meeting the needs of our membership, strengthening our organizing, and ensuring SEIU Local 105 is prepared to act with clarity and purpose.
If you have questions, concerns, or feedback you would like to share, we want to hear from you.
Our union exists for moments like this. We mourn the lives that have been lost, we protect the living, and we organize so that no one stands alone. When immigrant workers are protected, all workers are protected. When one of us is harmed, it is an injury to all of us.
Thank you for being part of this union and for showing, in big and small ways, what solidarity looks like in action.
In unity and determination,
Stephanie Felix-Sowy
President, SEIU Local 105
