Target, other Minnesota-based CEOs call for calm after latest shooting
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Demonstrators rally outside a Target in Minneapolis after ICE agents were spotted staging in the parking lot on Dec. 4, 2025. Photo: Christopher Juhn/Anadolu via Getty Images
Leaders at Target and other Minnesota-based companies called for federal and state cooperation to ease tensions amid the outrage over the ongoing immigration operation and the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens by federal agents.
Why it matters: The milquetoast letter is unlikely to appease local employees, activists and Minnesotans. However it does signal a potential linchpin moment for the return of corporate activism.
Driving the news: More than 60 CEOs — including 3M's William Brown, Best Buy's Corie Barry, General Mills CEO Jeff Harmening, Geoff Martha of Medtronic, incoming Target CEO Michael Fiddelke and United Healthcare Group CEO Stephen Hemsley — signed an open letter calling for deescalation.
- "The recent challenges facing our state have created widespread disruption and tragic loss of life. ... With yesterday's tragic news, we are calling for an immediate deescalation of tensions and for state, local and federal officials to work together to find real solutions," they write.
- In the note, the coalition of business leaders also call for a "durable solution that enables families, businesses, our employees, and communities across Minnesota to resume our work to build a bright and prosperous future."
The big picture: Since the ICE operations began, employees, community members and activists have called on Target, Delta, Home Depot, Hilton, Enterprise and other U.S. businesses to denounce the operations publicly, cut contracts with the Department of Homeland Security, and ban ICE officials from using their corporate spaces.
- Target, which found itself in the political crosshairs in recent years, faced internal backlash from employees. Many have skipped work out of safety concerns and voiced frustration over the company's silence up until this point.
- Other employee and industry-led coalitions are starting to form. For example, close to 400 employees across tech — from companies like Adobe, Google, Apple and Meta — signed a petition demanding their CEOs cancel all company contracts with ICE and speak out publicly against the violence.
What to watch: Just as Americans were trapped at home during COVID, watching the fallout from George Floyd's murder, they are now bogged down due to winter storms, scrolling social media and watching the news in real time.
- Outrage is likely to spread and seep into the workplace like it did in 2020.
More on Axios:
