More than 60 prominent Minnesota CEOs urged an immediate de‑escalation after immigration agents fatally shot a second U.S. citizen during Minneapolis protests over deportation policy. Executives from several major local firms signed an open letter calling for cooperation among local, state and federal leaders and said they had been consulting with officials behind the scenes. The statement comes amid growing pressure from tech workers and others for companies to cut ties with ICE, and high‑profile figures including Jeff Dean and Richard Branson condemned the shooting.
Over 60 Minnesota CEOs Urge Immediate De‑Escalation After Minneapolis Shooting
More than 60 Minnesota business leaders on Sunday called for "an immediate de‑escalation of tensions" after immigration officers shot and killed a second U.S. citizen in Minneapolis amid protests over the Trump administration's deportation policies.
Chief executives from major Minneapolis‑headquartered companies — including 3M, Best Buy, Cargill, General Mills, Target and UnitedHealth Group — signed an open letter urging "peace and focused cooperation among local, state and federal leaders."
The letter said local business leaders had been consulting daily for several weeks with Gov. Tim Walz, the White House and city mayors, but provided no further specifics about those discussions.
Tensions have grown as tech workers and other employees have pressed corporate leaders to take a public stance. Dozens of technology employees signed a petition asking CEOs to contact the White House, press for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to withdraw from U.S. cities, cancel company contracts with the agency and "speak out publicly against ICE's violence."
Until this statement, few top executives had spoken publicly about the unfolding crisis — a contrast to the widespread corporate response after George Floyd's murder in Minneapolis in 2020. The hotel group Hilton faced criticism after a Minneapolis hotel front desk agent blocked immigration officers from entering the property.
Jeff Dean, chief scientist at Google DeepMind and Google Research, said federal agents involved in the shooting of Alex Pretti on Saturday "unnecessarily escalated, and then executed a defenseless citizen." Sir Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group, posted on X that there is "no excuse for a government to unleash this kind of violence on its own citizens."
The CEOs' public appeal highlights the business community's concern about public safety, economic stability and the need for coordinated leadership as investigations and demonstrations continue.
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