Dear Members, In this moment of growing repression, the May First board wants to alert members to a powerful but lesser-known weapon the U.S. government can wield against our movements: sanctions based on “national security” goals. These sanctions can freeze the assets of individuals or organizations and prohibit others—including May First—from providing services or support to them.
Last October, before Trump took office, the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) placed former May First member, [Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network](https://samidoun.net/), on the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list under the Global Terrorist designation. The listing process does not require the government to prove wrongdoing and [no evidence has been presented to support accusations](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/10/15/us-and-canada-impose-sanctions-blacklist-pro-palestinian-group-samidoun) that Samidoun materially supports terrorist activity. All indications point to political targeting based on their activism and public speech which they have continued despite sanctions.
[May First has faced off with repression before](https://mayfirst.coop/en/legal/) but OFAC sanctions are uniquely dangerous. They make it illegal to communicate or coordinate with a listed group in any way that could be interpreted as support. Defending against OFAC investigations requires highly specialized legal counsel, and federal courts rarely rule against OFAC decisions. Violations can bring massive fines, threatening the very survival of a small cooperative like May First.
We believe that most May First members will never be targeted with sanctions, but in this climate of intensified attacks on Palestinian solidarity, immigrant rights, and reproductive justice, it’s essential to understand the risk and prepare.
# What happens if a member is sanctioned? If a May First member is sanctioned, we must immediately cancel their membership and will be legally unable to provide access to their data. Unless a separate legal process prevents us from doing so, we will delete their data, including our backups, to protect their privacy by voiding any legal requests for their data.
# How can you defend yourself and our movements? **Keep organizing.** Don't let fear disrupt your work. **Keep secure and reliable backups** to quickly recover from any loss of data or services.
# What else is May First doing to prepare? The [May First TIAS team](https://comment.mayfirst.org/t/invitation-to-participate-in-the-technology-infrastructure-and-services-team-invitacion-a-participar-en-el-equipo-de-infraestructura-y-servicios-tecnologicos/1954) will be exploring and documenting backup strategies resistant to OFAC jurisdiction, and we need your support. We will also continue educational efforts like this email and webinars while building a wider network of support by staying active in our technology and political coalitions. None of us are invulnerable and no solution is 100% secure—but together, we can help build collective safety and resilience to fight repression. Signed, May First Board 20sep2025