Target, UnitedHealth, 3M, General Mills CEOs finally spoke up about ICE after weeks of silence. Here's what they said

"For weeks, the leaders of Minnesota's most prominent businesses have remained tight-lipped as thousands of ICE agents have flooded the Twin Cities, where those agents have raided residential neighborhoods, detained employees from local businesses, and taken multiple school children in broad daylight. Now, over the weekend, more than 60 Minnesota-based CEOs finally spoke out against ICE in a brief collective letter."

"The 200-word letter was released on January 25 by Minnesota's Chamber of Commerce. It came the day after a U.S. Border Patrol officer shot and killed Minneapolis resident and ICU nurse Alex Pretti, and weeks after the death of Minneapolis writer Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE agent on January 7. In the letter, the business leaders call for "an immediate deescalation of tensions," and for "state, local and federal officials to work together to find real solutions.""

"In the summer of 2020, during President Trump's first term, Minnesota-based companies including General Mills, Target, Best Buy, Cargill, UnitedHealth Group, 3M, and Land O'Lakes all offered statements in the immediate wake of the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police. But now, during Trump's second term, corporate silence has become the norm as companies opt to remain mute on critical issues rather than attracting the Trump administration's ire."

Minnesota saw weeks of ICE raids in residential neighborhoods, detentions of employees, and children taken in daylight while major local business leaders largely remained silent. Over 60 Minnesota-based CEOs released a 200-word letter via the Chamber calling for an immediate deescalation of tensions and for state, local, and federal officials to work together to find solutions. The letter followed separate fatal shootings involving a U.S. Border Patrol officer and an ICE agent. Many residents view the corporate response as too little, too late, contrasting with widespread corporate statements after George Floyds murder in 2020.

Read at Fast Company