Opinion | A defense of business leaders’ pragmatic letter about the events in Minnesota

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CEOs of major companies often are a curious lot. Most are extremely talented in their fields, thoughtful in their decisionmaking and sometimes daring in their strategies.

They also can be shortsighted, overly focused on the next quarterly earnings report and more attuned to the politics of the nation and their largest markets than what is happening in their own backyards.

Minnesota has been blessed with more than its share of corporate bosses who care deeply about the community. The state’s good fortune is a mix of leaders with strong values, many rooted in the New England commitment to town hall democracy, and an economy, natural resources and workers who gave birth and supported successful businesses. Minnesotans have supported the hometown successes; the business leaders have supported the hometown and state. It has worked well for both. It also has given Minnesotans expectations of business involvement that isn’t the case in many other communities.

All this comes to mind in reflecting on the reactions to a Jan. 25 public letter signed by 60 CEOs calling for “an immediate de-escalation of tensions” in the Department of Homeland Security surge in Minnesota. Some people have cheered the business leaders for publicly stepping into the fray; many others have been critical of what they see as a tepid response to an overwhelming threat and a devastating and ongoing tragedy.

What should one make of the letter from Minnesota’s CEOs? Certainly, they have a stake in an economically strong and peaceful community. As they state in their public letter, “We have been working for generations to build a strong and vibrant state here in Minnesota and will do so in the months and years ahead with equal and even greater commitment.”

Dayton’s, though, was a private company before the 1960s, a mostly regional retailer before the 1980s and still a company known as much for its traditional department stores as its other divisions before the 1990s. Today, the company known as Target has nearly 2,000 stores and 440,000 employees. When the Dayton family was establishing its well-earned reputation for corporate philanthropy and leadership, its community was Minnesota. Today it remains headquartered in Minnesota, but its two biggest revenue-producing states are California and Texas.

The same is true of most of the other CEOs who signed the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce letter. They have a huge stake in their headquarters state, they care deeply about the future of Minnesota and, as they said, they remain committed to a “strong and vibrant” local community.

But businesses have had to adapt to the globalization of goods and services, capital and jobs. And, in Donald Trump they have a mercurial president. When people yell at Trump, he yells back — louder, angrier and, frankly, with more powers of “retribution” (the rationale he offered for launching the surge in Minnesota) than anyone else in the world.

Trump is moved mainly by two things: money and politics. And it almost certainly is the latter that is causing the president to ameliorate the ICE and Border Patrol surge in Minnesota. Within 48 hours of the tragic killing of Alex Pretti, the politics of immigration changed. Republican politicians and stalwart conservative media — including the Wall Street Journal — harshly criticized Department of Homeland Security operations in Minnesota and the leadership of DHS.

If there was a doubt that support for Trump’s immigration policies is collapsing, new public polling removes any question. A Reuters/Ipsos survey taken over the weekend and published Jan. 26, shows that only 39% of the public supports Trump’s immigration policies; 53% oppose them.

The CEOs’ letter is part of this changing political debate. It is less specific than many would like. It is softer and less angry than warranted by the deaths, economic damage and assaults on the Constitution Trump’s surge has inflicted on Minnesota and its people.

But maybe public vitriol isn’t the measure by which to judge the words of business leaders in today’s world and with this president. CEOs are outcomes-based. Read what the letter says — not what some wish it said — and then evaluate it. The most important line is the revelation that the Minnesota’s business community has “been working every day behind the scenes with federal, state and local officials to advance real solutions.”

Read the letter as a warning, a stake in the ground. It seems the CEOs are saying, “We have worked behind the scenes to find solutions. The country needs comprehensive immigration reform, not violent attacks by masked agents that tear at the very fabric of communities and harm people. We will support meaningful and long-term reforms. But if the policy continues to be what we have seen in Minnesota, we will no longer be quiet.”

That is speculation, maybe even wishful thinking on my part. But before the CEO letter, the president blamed the death of Pretti on the victim and renewed his attacks on Minnesota’s leadership. The day after the letter, Trump had his first conversation with Gov. Tim Walz since the surge and now says he and the governor are on a “similar wavelength” on reducing tension.

That’s a far cry from ending the surge and even more distant from comprehensive reform. But it’s a start, and whether the voices of the CEOs deserve any credit or not, they have charted a path going forward.

Certainly, the community must push businesses to do more. Demand they lead in finding a long-term resolution that recognizes the vital role of immigrants in our country. But don’t blow out any candles just because the light you see is not as bright as you might want.