CEOs of big Minnesota companies, who’ve been relatively quiet about the federal government’s aggressive immigration enforcement actions in the state, released an open letter Sunday.

One day after federal agents killed Alex Pretti, 37, a Veterans Administration nurse and U.S. citizen, in Minneapolis, the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce published an open letter from 64 businesses and other organizations.

“With yesterday’s tragic news, we are calling for an immediate de-escalation of tensions and for state, local, and federal officials to work together to find real solutions,” the business leaders said.

DFL Gov. Tim Walz, DFL U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, also a Democrat, have been exhorting President Trump and Kristi Noem, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, to withdraw the 3,000 or so federal agents that were surged into Minnesota.

The business leaders didn’t take a similar stance.

With the massive influx of agents—working for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP)—daily life has been upended in neighborhoods, commercial districts, and gathering places in Minneapolis, St. Paul, the suburbs and communities across Minnesota.

Federal agents have shot three people in Minneapolis since Jan. 7. An immigrant from Venezuela was shot during an enforcement action and survived. Renee Good, a 37-year-old citizen and mother, was shot and killed in a Minneapolis residential area.

On Thursday, Doug Loon, president and CEO of the Minnesota Chamber, and fellow chamber members met with Vice President JD Vance, who was in the Twin Cities on behalf of the Republican Trump administration. At the conclusion of that meeting, Loon said in a statement: “Our goal is clear: to help engage federal and Minnesota public officials [to] de-escalate the current situation and put our communities and economy back on track.”

On Friday, thousands of Minnesotans poured into downtown Minneapolis—in sub-zero temperatures—to march against the tactics being used by masked ICE and CBP agents, who have continually clashed with citizens, arrested immigrants who have the legal paperwork to live in the country, and sent young children to detention facilities in Texas.

Shortly after 9 a.m. Saturday, Pretti was recording video of federal agents in a Minneapolis business district, and he tried to help a woman bystander who had been pushed by a federal agent. Pretti was quickly swarmed by federal agents, and he was shot dead within a matter of seconds.

U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer, who represents Minnesota’s Sixth District, is the veteran Republican in Minnesota’s congressional delegation. He’s also U.S. House majority whip for the Republican caucus.

After Pretti was killed Saturday, Emmer posted the following on X: “The governor and local leaders’ rhetoric has empowered criminals and put federal law enforcement’s lives at risk. It’s dangerous and has made the situation in Minneapolis much worse. Unlike my Democrat colleagues, I’m going to let law enforcement conduct their investigation and not jump to asinine conclusions. We are grateful no Border Patrol officers were harmed.”

Business leaders walking a middle path

Business leaders are walking a middle path between the major DFL elected officials and Republican Emmer.

“The recent challenges facing our state have created widespread disruption and tragic loss of life,” the Chamber members said in Sunday’s open letter. “For the past several weeks, representatives of Minnesota’s business community have been working every day behind the scenes with federal, state and local officials to advance real solutions.”

The open letter cited “close communication with the governor, the White House, the vice president and local mayors. There are ways for us to come together to foster progress.”

In conclusion, the business leaders said in their letter: “In this difficult moment for our community, we call for peace and focused cooperation among local, state, and federal leaders to achieve a swift and durable solution that enables families, businesses, our employees, and communities across Minnesota to resume our work to build a bright and prosperous future.”

Bill George’s assessment

Bill George, former Medtronic CEO and an executive fellow at Harvard Business School, has been a strong advocate for CEO civic engagement. In recent media interviews and in social media posts, George has encouraged business leaders to speak up about the negative consequences of Operation Metro Surge.

Reuters contacted eight large Minnesota companies, seeking comment about the federal immigration operation and what executives were telling their employees. None of the companies would make on-the-record comments to Reuters.

“A lot of them are very silent and I think it’s not a good time to be silent,” George said in the Jan. 16 Reuters article. “It is disappointing to me that we don’t hear their voices. They’re charged with the safety, security, and well-being of their employees.”

Arne Carlson’s proposal

Former Gov. Arne Carlson, who served two terms as a moderate Republican in the 1990s, said recently that President Trump’s conflict with Gov. Walz and Mayor Frey is so pronounced that some non-political leaders should help find common ground.

In an interview that aired on Friday’s “Almanac” on public television, Carlson said that he’d like to see former Minnesota Chief Justice Kathleen Blatz and Jeff Ettinger, interim CEO of Hormel, convene business and civic leaders to craft a plan that de-escalates the situation and allows Minnesota to achieve some normalcy.

Earlier in the month, Carlson discussed this idea on Dan Barreiro’s KFAN radio show. Carlson told Barreiro that he didn’t want to risk Trump invoking the Insurrection Act and have him send federal troops to Minnesota. Carlson said he thought business and community leaders would be positioned to get their ideas heard in the White House.

Robert Rubin’s three-question test

Robert Rubin, a former co-chairman of Goldman Sachs who was the U.S. Treasury secretary from 1995 to 1999, recently wrote a commentary “Why Have Business Leaders Gone Silent?” for the Wall Street Journal.

He concluded his commentary with the following arguments:

“Perhaps most important, all business leaders—and leaders in all sectors—should ask themselves three questions. First, do Mr. Trump’s actions regarding the economy, the law, and use of the federal government cross a red line? Second, if not, what would? Third, what will I do differently if and when such a line is crossed?

“The challenges of opposing authoritarianism can be great,” Rubin wrote. “But the ever greater consequences, if authoritarianism is left to continue, can be many times more severe.”

Signatories to the Jan. 25 Minnesota Chamber of Commerce open letter:

3M – William Brown, Chairman and CEO

Allianz Life Insurance Company – Jasmine Jirele, President and CEO

Allina Health – Lisa Shannon, President and CEO, Tim Welsh, Board Chair

Ameriprise Financial – James Cracchiolo, Chairman and CEO

Anchor Paper – Brooke Lee, CEO

Andersen Corporation – Chris Galvin, Chairman and CEO

APi Group – Russell Becker, CEO and President

Best Buy – Corie Barry, CEO

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota – Dana Erickson, President and CEO

Boston Scientific – Joseph Fitzgerald, Executive Vice President and Group President, Cardiology

Cargill – Brian Sikes, Board Chair and CEO

Carlson – Scott Gage, Chair

CentraCare Health – Kenneth Holmen, M.D., President and CEO

C.H. Robinson – Dave Bozeman, President and CEO

CHS – Jay Debertin, President and CEO

Children’s Minnesota – Emily Chapman, M.D., CEO

Delta Dental of Minnesota – Rodney Young, President and CEO

Deluxe Corporation – Barry McCarthy, President and CEO

Donaldson Company, Inc. – Tod Carpenter, Chairman, President and CEO

ECMC Group – Dan Fisher, President and CEO

Ecolab – Christophe Beck, Chairman and CEO

Essentia Health – Dr. David Herman, CEO

Fairview Health Services – James Hereford, President and CEO

Faribault Mill – Ross Widmoyer, President and CEO

Gardner Builders – Bob Gardner, Founder and CEO

General Mills – Jeff Harmening, Chairman and CEO

Gillette Children’s – Barbara Joers, President and CEO

Greater MSP – Peter Frosch, CEO

Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation – Dr. Joseph Lee, President and CEO

HealthPartners – Andrea Walsh, President and CEO

Hormel – Jeff Ettinger, Interim CEO

Kraus-Anderson Companies, Inc. – Peter J. Diessner, CEO

Land O’Lakes – Beth Ford, President and CEO

Liberty Diversified International – Mike Fiterman, Chairman

Marsden Holding – Guy Mingo, President and CEO

Mayo Clinic – Gianrico Farrugia, M.D., President and CEO

Medica – Lisa Erickson, President and CEO

Medtronic – Geoff Martha, CEO and Chairman

Minnesota Business Partnership – Kurt Zellers, CEO

Minnesota Chamber of Commerce – Doug Loon, President and CEO

Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx – On behalf of the entire organization

Minnesota United FC – Shari Ballard, CEO

Minnesota Vikings – On behalf of the entire organization

Minnesota Wild – On behalf of the entire organization

Mortenson – David Mortenson, Chairperson

New Horizon Academy – Chad Dunkley, CEO

nVent – Beth Wozniak, Chair and CEO

Patterson Companies – Robert Rajalingam, CEO

Pentair – John L. Stauch, President and CEO

Piper Sandler – Chad Abraham, Chairman and CEO

Prime Therapeutics – Mostafa Kamal, President and CEO

Red Wing Shoe Co. – Allison Gettings, President and CEO

Ryan Companies US, Inc. – Brian Murray, CEO

Securian Financial – Chris Hilger, Chairman, President and CEO

Sleep Number – Linda Findley, President and CEO

SPS Commerce – Chad Collins, CEO

Target – Michael Fiddelke, Incoming CEO

Tennant Company – Dave Huml, President and CEO

Thrivent – Teresa Rasmussen, President and CEO

The Toro Company – Rick Olson, Chairman and CEO

UnitedHealth Group – Stephen J. Hemsley, CEO

U.S. Bancorp – Gunjan Kedia, CEO

Winnebago – Michael Happe, President and CEO

Xcel Energy – Bob Frenzel, Chairman, President and CEO