Minnesota CEOs break silence on ICE surge, killings

The chief executives of Minnesota’s largest businesses banded together Sunday to pen an open letter calling for an “immediate deescalation” of the violence in the state.

The Minnesota Chamber of Commerce released the letter signed by leaders of more than 60 companies — including the CEOs of Target, General Mills, UnitedHealth Group and 3M — imploring local and federal officials to “come together to foster progress.”

It marks a notable shift for Minnesota’s top employers that had previously remained quiet about the surge of immigration officials in the state and the killing of Renee Good. The letter called Saturday’s killing of Alex Pretti “tragic.” Pretti is the second U.S. citizen and Minnesota resident to be killed by federal agents during the immigration enforcement surge.

As the violence and federal presence in Minnesota has grown, so has public pressure on the state’s marquee corporations to speak out.

Hundreds of Target workers sent a letter on Jan. 23 to CEO Brian Cornell and other company leaders condemning the retailer’s response to social issues and the presence of federal immigration officers in Minnesota. U.S. Border Patrol agents detained employees at a Richfield Target store.

“In the face of this tyranny, continued silence from our leaders will never make us safer, as already evidenced by ICE’s kidnapping and assault of two Target Richfield employees who were both minors and citizens,” the letter said, referencing the Jan. 8 incident.

The Minnesota Star Tribune obtained a copy of the letter. The Minneapolis-based company did not respond to a request for comment. It’s not the only affected company.

“The community in Minnesota is enduring an extraordinarily difficult time,” Hemsley wrote in the message, a copy of which was obtained by the Minnesota Star Tribune. “No one wants this situation to continue and we should all work to move toward peaceful de-escalation and resolution.”

The company employs about 19,000 people in Minnesota, according to the most recent public data, and roughly 400,000 people worldwide.

Hemsley called the safety and well-being of workers at the Eden Prairie-based health care company “paramount,” and emphasized resources to support workers.

In early January, federal immigration officers detained a worker at a General Mills plant in Chanhassen.

At that time, a spokesperson for the company said in a statement: “Our team requested ICE agent identification, followed all our safety protocols and partnered with local law enforcement.” A Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman said the individual “unlawfully entered” the U.S. in 2023 but wouldn’t answer whether officers had warned the company it was pursuing the individual.

But, the letter said, company representatives have been “working every day behind the scenes” with local and federal leaders “to advance real solutions.”

“These efforts have included close communication with the Governor, the White House, the Vice President and local mayors,” the letter said. “There are ways for us to come together to foster progress.”

Alex Pretti’s killing on Jan. 24 appears to have been the final incident to push these leaders to speak.

The business leaders said their companies have worked “for generations to build a strong and vibrant state here in Minnesota” and that they “will do so in the months and years ahead with equal and even greater commitment.”

The “recent challenges,” the leaders said, “created widespread disruption and tragic loss of life.”

“Diversity in business is critical for a thriving economy and is at the foundation of Minnesota’s communities. Layer on the national immigration policy changes that are reducing international talent to Minnesota, and our already tight labor market faces even more strain,“ Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development Commissioner Matt Varilek said in a statement to the Star Tribune.

Signatories of the letter are: 3M, Allianz Life Insurance Co., Allina, Ameriprise Financial, Anchor Paper, Andersen Corporation, APi Group, Best Buy, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, Boston Scientific, Cargill, Carlson, CentraCare Health, C.H. Robinson, CHS, CJ Scwan’s, Children’s Minnesota, Delta Dental of Minnesota, Deluxe Corporation, Donaldson Co. Inc., ECMC Group, Ecolab, Essentia Health, Fairview Health Services, Faribault Mill, Gardner Builders, General Mills, Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare, Greater MSP, Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, HealthPartners, Hormel, Kraus-Anderson Cos. Inc., Land O’Lakes, Liberty Diversified International, Marsden Holding, Mayo Clinic, Medica, Medtronic, Minnesota Business Partnership, Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx, Minnesota Twins, Minnesota United FC, Minnesota Vikings, Minnesota Wild, Mortenson, New Horizon Academy, nVent, Patterson Cos., Pentair, Piper Sandler, Prime Therapeutics, Red Wing Shoes, Ryan Cos. US Inc., Securian Financial Group, Sleep Number, SPS Commerce, Target, Tennant Co., Thrivent, The Toro Co., UnitedHealth Group, U.S. Bancorp, Winnebago and Xcel Energy.

Carson Hartzog of the Minnesota Star Tribune contributed to this story.