FARMINGTON HILLS — Detroit’s branch of CODEPINK, the national anti-war feminist organization, held a protest on Monday outside the Farmington Hills district office of U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, a Michigan Democrat, denouncing her decision to place “foreign interests above the interests of her constituents.”

The protest centered on the significant financial support Stevens has received from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), support that CODEPINK says exceeds $5 million since 2019, according to a press release issued by the organization.

Stevens, who first won election to the U.S. House in 2018 representing Michigan’s 11th Congressional District, which includes several northwest Detroit suburbs such as Farmington Hills, Birmingham and Plymouth, along with parts of Canton and Novi, has long been among the top Democratic recipients of AIPAC-affiliated funding.

It has been widely reported that even though AIPAC itself does not directly donate to political candidates, its aligned political action committees and donor networks have heavily supported Stevens’ campaigns, a fact documented by OpenSecrets and multiple Michigan news outlets.

In April 2024, Stevens announced her candidacy for the U.S. Senate, entering the race to succeed Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, who said he would not seek re-election in 2026 for a third term.

CODEPINK Detroit organized a rally outside Representative Haley Stevens’ Farmington Hills office. – Photo courtesy of CODEPINK

Protesters demand Stevens cut ties with AIPAC

During the demonstration, activists called on Stevens to end her relationship with the pro-Israel AIPAC. CODEPINK also announced that its members in Washington, D.C., would visit Stevens’ congressional office on behalf of Michigan constituents to deliver the same demands.

“We tried to go up to Haley Stevens’ office to talk to her about the genocide and our objection to her receiving $5 million from AIPAC since 2019,” Fanar, a CODEPINK Detroit’s local coordinator said.

She expressed concern about how a relatively new member of Congress could accumulate such vast political funding.

“People in this county are suffering… Why are we sending money to Israel? Because Stevens has been bought off by them while she neglects us. We need those resources here, for our libraries, our roads, our infrastructure in Michigan, not to fund bombs that kill children and steal land.

“We want someone who represents us and cares about us here,” Fanar added.

Part of a growing national backlash

The press statement, a copy of which was sent to The Arab American News, noted that the protest was part of a growing wave of public outrage directed at elected officials over their financial ties to special interest groups and how such contributions influence their domestic policy positions.

The statement highlighted that these concerns come during a period of economic hardship for millions of Americans, with potential cuts to the SNAP food assistance program and as many as 40,000 Michigan families facing the loss of healthcare subsidies through HealthCare.gov, even as military aid to foreign countries continues uninterrupted.

About CODEPINK

Founded in 2002 during the Iraq War, CODEPINK is one of the most prominent feminist anti-war organizations in the United States. It advocates for peace, social justice, demilitarization, diplomacy and using creative nonviolent actions to challenge U.S. foreign policy and mobilize local and international campaigns.

The group says its mission is to build a world free from violence, oppression and endless wars, while elevating the voices of peace activists and confronting the political systems that enable global conflict.