Readers Write: CEO letter on ICE, Kristi Noem and immigration law, Paul Allen, Alex Pretti

Opinion editor’s note: Strib Voices publishes letters from readers online and in print each day. To contribute, click here.

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I couldn’t agree more that the CEOs’ PR statement was a nothingburger, as described in a Jan. 28 commentary (“To the 60-plus Minnesota CEOs: Stand up, or sit down and take off the nametag,” Strib Voices, Jan. 28). I almost laughed when I read it. But how much of that is due to the lesson businesses learned from the “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” punishment Target took from the ill-conceived boycott over pulling LGBTQ-themed goods off their shelves? Target, Minnesota’s most community-minded, conscientious corporate citizen, took a severe blow, yet nobody seems to notice that its much bigger and financially flush competitors — Amazon, Walmart and Costco — never seem to do anything for anybody. I think the takeaway message for most corporations was: Stay out of politics. Period. Companies can’t do anything for anyone if they’re driven out of business.

Kathy Vittum, North St. Paul

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I was hopeful reading Tom Horner’s opinion piece in the Jan. 29 Strib that he might have some insight about the published letter from Minnesota’s 60 CEOs (“A defense of business leaders’ pragmatic letter,” Strib Voices). It seems the best Horner can do is, in his words, “That is speculation, maybe even wishful thinking on my part” that the letter is some kind of “warning.”

To whom does Horner think this warning is directed? We have no less than a full-blown constitutional crisis unfolding with secret police abducting and killing citizens, the Justice Department charging protesters following unlawful detainments, the FBI trying to seize state voting records in Georgia and countless other crimes committed by the current administration.

George Hutchinson, Minneapolis

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I’m responding to Horner’s “A defense of business leaders’ pragmatic letter.”

He does well until he gets to the part where he says, “Trump is moved mainly by two things: money and politics,” which is inaccurate. These days Trump is moved by money and power. The message the administration has relentlessly sent to Minnesota is “comply or be crushed.” Publicly there has been no nuance in that message. That does not sound like a political discussion.

The people of Minnesota (and I’m including outside the metro) have displayed power by showing the rest of the U.S. what the masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol agents have been doing. That and nothing else has forced the Trump administration to slightly, and probably temporarily, moderate its behavior.

Horner is right that the CEOs who signed the letter need to consider the potential consequences of their letter on their employees, customers and shareholders outside of Minnesota. He is also right that Trump has a history of retaliation using all the powers of the presidency.

But Trump also has a history of assuming that not standing up to him means that you are weak and deserve what happens to you. The CEOs of Minnesota need to stand up to Trump for the sake of their employees, customers and shareholders outside of Minnesota. Otherwise Trump will start treating other states the same way he has Minnesota when he is done with us.

Paul O’Connor, St. Louis Park

Contributing columnist Andy Brehm says he’s in favor of deporting undocumented immigrants with criminal records but not those who have been in the country for decades and have jobs (“Kristi Noem should resign,” Jan. 29). It’s a popular idea and is similar to President Donald Trump’s statements that he was going to deport “the worst of the worst.” But there’s a problem.

The problem with Brehm’s proposal is it would change immigration enforcement policy without changing U.S. law. The law does not distinguish between illegal immigrants based on whether they have committed other crimes, have a job or how long they have been in the U.S. The consequence of being here illegally is deportation.

James Brandt, New Brighton

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In Brehm’s mostly welcome column regarding Noem’s resignation, he can’t pass up the opportunity to get another dig at Gov. Tim Walz’s handling of the COVID pandemic. His compliment concerning Noem’s approach fails to mention that South Dakota had one of the highest rates of COVID deaths per 100,000 in the nation, coming in at 127 per 100,000 (in a mostly rural environment) compared to Minnesota at 71.9 in 2020, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s current and historical tracking of COVID deaths.

Kevin O’Brien, Minneapolis

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She is an abomination. Brehm decries her dishonesty and “deliberate falsehood[s]” about Alex Pretti’s murder. He rightly continues, “The U.S. needs the unvarnished truth now more than ever from our politicians.”

Right on. And, as in any successful business or organization, a culture whose values demand honesty has leadership that embodies it. Noem’s boss creates, promotes and insists on a culture of continuous, nonstop lying and deflection, misinformation and distraction. If you insist that she must resign, insist that her boss does the same. It starts at the top.

Rolf Thompson, St Louis Park

The Minnesota Vikings’ mission statement emphasizes dignity, character and inclusion. That is why the organization’s silence following broadcaster Paul Allen’s recent comments about “paid protesters” has been so disappointing (“KFAN host Allen draws criticism,” Jan. 27).

Allen’s remarks were not simply an offhand joke. They echoed a harmful narrative used to delegitimize civic participation and to dismiss real community concerns. His on-air apology, while emotional, was carefully staged on his own platform, on his own terms, followed by a self-announced leave of absence that felt more like reputation management than accountability. At no point did the Vikings, KFAN or iHeartMedia publicly acknowledge the harm caused, name why the comments were wrong or make clear that such behavior falls below the standard expected of those who represent this community. Emotional apologies — even when framed in moral or religious language — mean little without a sustained change in behavior.

Under the Wilfs’ leadership, the Vikings have worked to build credibility and trust within this community. But credibility is sustained through action, not silence — and leadership matters most when it is uncomfortable.

Al Sullivan, Wayzata

At the Alex Pretti memorial site, I was OK until I saw a small white placard. It had a nurse’s stethoscope taped to it, beside these words: “Alex, we’ll take it from here.”