More than 60 CEOs of Minnesota-based companies yesterday signed a letter urging “an immediate deescalation of tensions” in the state after the killing of Alex Pretti by a Border Patrol officer, and weeks after the fatal shooting of Renee Good. Both were killed during protests as Immigrations and Custom Enforcement (ICE) has descended on Minneapolis, detaining at least 2,500 people—including at least one child, a 5-year-old.
The letter avoids assigning blame for the violence, and stops short of demanding that ICE leave the state, as many Democrats and state officials have. “The recent challenges facing our state have created widespread disruption and tragic loss of life,” the letter reads.
Among the CEOs and entities to sign the letter are Corie Barry, the CEO of Best Buy; Dana Erickson, the CEO of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota; the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves and WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx; Gunjan Kedia, the CEO of U.S. Bancorp; and Beth Ford, the CEO of Land O’Lakes.
That’s three Fortune 500 female CEOs—Barry, Kedia, and Ford. The letter, released by the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, said that “representatives of Minnesota’s business community have been working every day behind the scenes with federal, state and local officials to advance real solutions” for the past several weeks. It says they have been in communication with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the White House, the vice president, and local mayors. (The president himself is not specified.) “There are ways for us to come together to foster progress,” they write.
Among this group of CEOs, one has already been involved in negotiating the issue of immigration with the Trump administration on behalf of big business. In July of last year, I went to Minneapolis to speak with Ford of Land O’Lakes about the challenges facing the American farmer today, which include labor supply in an industry where just under half of farmworkers are undocumented. Ford in 2025 became chair of the Business Roundtable’s immigration committee, a post she says she took up during a fraught time because of how crucially important she believes it to be—and the outsize impact enforcement actions are having on farmers and their workforces. As part of that role, she has spoken frankly about the real challenges a mass deportation agenda poses for business and worked with politicians of both parties on pathways to legal immigration.
“Listen, do you realize the risk there is with this right now?” she told me she was saying during the first wave of deportations in early 2025. She talks about the impact on communities, where longtime farmworkers live and have family members and spouses who might work in health care or run a local store. “I do think it’s important to be straightforward and honest,” she added. You can watch her discuss this issue in more depth in our conversation at the October Most Powerful Women Summit here.
Right now, Ford is one of 60 CEOs in her home state calling for an end to the violence on the streets of Minneapolis. Many others among that group lead companies in industries, like healthcare, that also rely on undocumented workers. What once could have been called a debate, is now a true crisis—and Ford, for one, has shown an understanding of both the human toll and how to communicate with GOP lawmakers.
Meanwhile, a federal judge in Minneapolis will consider today whether the Trump administration’s deployment of thousands of federal law enforcement officers in Minnesota violates the state’s sovereignty.
The group of business leaders said yesterday that they “have been working for generations to build a strong and vibrant state.” “In this difficult moment for our community,” they wrote, “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.”
Emma Hinchliffe
emma.hinchliffe@fortune.com
The Most Powerful Women Daily newsletter is Fortune’s daily briefing for and about the women leading the business world. Subscribe here.
ALSO IN THE HEADLINES
Paris Hilton and AOC are fighting nonconsensual AI-generated porn. Hilton joined Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) on Thursday to support the Disrupt Explicit Forged Images and Non-Consensual Edits Act, or DEFIANCE Act, which would allow victims of those images to sue those who create and distribute them. Meanwhile, European regulators announced a new investigation of Elon Musk's X over the issue.
Abercrombie kicks its NFL partnership up a notch. Under CEO Fran Horowitz, the retailer has gotten into sports apparel and helped the NFL engage female fans. This year it's putting on a fashion show in partnership with the NFL right before Super Bowl weekend. Vogue Business
The woman who stands between Trump and Greenland. Denmark's PM Mette Frederiksen approaches the U.S. president with a "quiet resolve," rather than flattery. NYT
Columbia University gets a new president. Jennifer Mnookin, the chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, will be next to hold the job after a rocky few years defined by campus protests over Palestine and threats from the Trump administration. NYT
ON MY RADAR
Chloé Zhao is yearning to know how to love NYT
What happens if an IUD breaks? The Cut
Why Japan's leader won't enter the male-dominated sumo ring NYT
PARTING WORDS
"Enough of Washington’s orders to Venezuelan politicians, let Venezuelan politics resolve our differences and conflicts. Enough of foreign powers."
— Venezuela's Acting President Delcy Rodríguez in a speech on Sunday
