Why corporate America is mostly staying quiet as federal immigration agents show up at its doors

Federal immigration raids in Minnesota prompted a social backlash. But the business community is largely hedging its bets due to a changed political calculus.

By: Alessandro Piazza, Rice University, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: February 5, 2026

Words: 1,348

Last Updated: 1 month, 1 week ago

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When U.S. Border Patrol agents entered a Target store in Richfield, Minnesota, in early January, detaining two employees, it marked a new chapter in the relationship between corporate America and the federal government.

Across the Twin Cities, federal immigration enforcement operations have turned businesses into sites of confrontation — with agents in store parking lots rounding up day laborers, armed raids on restaurants and work authorization inspections conducted in tactical gear.

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