The CEOs of Minnesota’s most prominent businesses are calling for local, state, and federal officials to find a solution as tensions skyrocket the day after federal agents shot and killed a second person in Minneapolis.
A Border Patrol agent killed Alex Pretti, 37, a US citizen who worked as a nurse at the local Veteran Affairs hospital, on Saturday morning. Pretti had been filming federal immigration agents when the confrontation began.
Minneapolis and neighboring St. Paul have been the site of continuous protests since the Department of Homeland Security flooded the cities with immigration agents in December. Tensions have been particularly high since an ICE agent shot and killed Renee Good on January 7.
The Minnesota Chamber of Commerce distributed a letter on Sunday signed by more than 60 CEOs of Minnesota-based companies calling for “de-escalation.”
Among the signatories were the leaders of major corporations: Target CEO Michael Fiddelke, 3M CEO William Brown, Allianz Life Insurance Company CEO Jasmine Jirele, Cargill CEO Brian Sikes, General Mills CEO Jeff Harmening, and UnitedHealth Group CEO Stephen Hemsley, among many others.
The letter called for an “immediate de-escalation of tensions” and for state, local, and federal officials to “work together to find real solutions.”
“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,” the letter says.
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