Big Minnesota employers stay quiet on ICE surge

The Reformer piece reports that as Trump’s immigration crackdown and Operation Metro Surge rattle Minneapolis–Saint Paul neighborhoods, most of Minnesota’s largest employers are either silent or speaking in vague generalities about the situation. Companies like Target, Best Buy, U.S. Bank, Medtronic and Cargill — all deeply tied into the Twin Cities economy and dependent on immigrant workers and customers — have avoided directly criticizing the raids, even as small immigrant‑serving businesses report sales plunges of 50–80% and unions at MSP airport and Hennepin Healthcare warn of fear‑driven staffing problems. Business groups such as the Minnesota Chamber and Hospitality Minnesota concede the enforcement wave is bad for labor and local commerce, but they’re hedging their language, clearly wary of provoking the White House. The article situates that caution in the broader political climate, where Trump has already shown he’s willing to use tariffs, contracts and public attacks as weapons, leaving big employers to quietly lobby behind the scenes while letting smaller neighborhood shops take the public risk. Online, that posture is drawing growing anger from Twin Cities residents who see corporate logos all over immigrant corridors like Lake Street but almost no corporate backbone as ICE and Border Patrol flood those same streets.