Cargill, 3M keep close eye on U.S. travel ban

The two Minnesota firms with the most globally diverse work forces — Cargill Inc. and 3M Co. — said Monday they are closely monitoring President Donald Trump's travel restrictions for their effects on employees and their work.

"Cargill is working with its travel and security partners to determine what the action means for our employees," the Wayzata-based company said in an e-mailed statement. "We will continue to monitor the situation since it is evolving rapidly. Cargill is committed to maintaining a diverse and inclusive global workforce."

A 3M representative said the firm is monitoring the situation.

Both companies employ more people outside the U.S. than inside and they rely on America's open borders to do business.

Trump signed an executive order Friday that suspends refugees awaiting resettlement in the U.S. for 120 days and Syrian refugees indefinitely. It also bars people from seven majority-Muslim nations, including Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen, from entering the U.S. for 90 days.

But confusion remains on how the order impacts groups like legal permanent U.S. residents. Cargill's U.S. operations rely on highly skilled foreigners like scientists and engineers, and some immigrants at its agriculture facilities and manufacturing plants.

Cargill employs more than 150,000 people in 70 countries, with more than 100,000 outside North America.

3M, meanwhile, has about 90,000 employees worldwide, including about 53,000 outside the U.S. The Maplewood-based company straddles the industrial and high-tech sectors with a wide variety of manufactured products, from Post-it notes to sophisticated medical devices and high-tech films used in electronics devices.

The technology industry relies heavily on skilled foreign workers to fill the demand for software engineers. Many Silicon Valley companies, including Facebook, Google and Apple, publicly criticized the ban over the weekend.

The North American Meat Institute, which includes member companies like Austin-based Hormel Foods Corp. and Cargill Meat Solutions, expressed concern over the potential changes to the workforce.

"As the administration pursues changes to the nation's refugee policies, we hope it will give careful consideration to the ramifications policy changes like these can have on our businesses and on foreign-born workers who are eager to build new lives in America through the jobs our companies can offer," Barry Carpenter, the organization's chief executive, said in a statement.

The organization did not have data on the number of refugees employed by the meat industry, but Carpenter said, "Historically, our industry has been an excellent starting point for new Americans. Immigrants and refugees can be an important component of some companies' labor forces."

Staff writer Dee DePass contributed to this report.

Kristen Leigh Painter • 612-673-4767