Businesses Face Dual Pressure from Immigration Enforcement Campaign
Businesses across the United States are finding themselves caught in the crosshairs of President Donald Trump's intensified mass deportation campaign. From small family-run establishments to major retail corporations, companies are experiencing unprecedented pressure to respond to aggressive immigration enforcement while simultaneously becoming direct targets for federal operations.
Minneapolis: Epicentre of Enforcement Operations
In Minneapolis, where the Department of Homeland Security is conducting what it describes as its largest operation ever, the business community is feeling the direct impact. Numerous hotels, restaurants, and other establishments have temporarily closed their doors or halted reservations amid widespread protests and enforcement activities. The situation escalated dramatically following the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by U.S. Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis, prompting more than sixty CEOs of Minnesota-based companies including retail giant Target, electronics retailer Best Buy, and healthcare provider UnitedHealth to sign an open letter calling for immediate de-escalation.
However, this corporate response notably avoided direct mention of immigration enforcement or recent business-related arrests. Earlier this month, widely circulated videos showed federal agents detaining two Target employees in Minnesota, highlighting how businesses are becoming sites for enforcement actions rather than merely commentators on them.
The Expanding Scope of Business Enforcement
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations have extended far beyond traditional workplace raids. Federal agents have rounded up day labourers in Home Depot parking lots, detained delivery workers on public streets nationwide, and conducted a massive operation last year that resulted in 475 arrests during a raid at a Hyundai manufacturing plant in Georgia.
Jessie Hahn, senior counsel for labour and employment policy at the National Immigration Law Center, explains the legal framework: "The general public can go into a store for purposes of shopping, right? And so can law enforcement agents—without a warrant." This means immigration officials can question individuals, seize information, and make arrests in public-facing areas of businesses including restaurant dining sections, open parking lots, office lobbies, and shopping aisles.
Warrant Requirements and Constitutional Concerns
For areas where there's a reasonable expectation of privacy—such as back offices, closed kitchens, or private storage areas—ICE is supposed to obtain judicial warrants signed by specified court judges. These warrants can be limited to specific days or particular sections of a business. However, an internal memo obtained by The Associated Press revealed that ICE leadership considers administrative warrants sufficient for forced entry into private spaces when there's a final removal order.
Immigration rights lawyers argue this position upends years of legal precedent and violates fundamental constitutional principles. The easiest pathway for ICE to access private business areas without judicial warrants remains employer consent, which can be as simple as someone agreeing to let agents enter restricted spaces. The agency may also cite exigent circumstances such as hot pursuit of specific individuals.
I-9 Audits: A Changing Enforcement Approach
Beyond dramatic workplace raids, enforcement against employers increasingly takes the form of I-9 audits focusing on verifying employees' work authorisation. Since the beginning of Trump's second term, attorneys have noted a significant shift in how these audits are initiated. Rather than beginning with mailed notices as was previously common, ICE agents are now physically appearing at business locations to start audit processes.
David Jones, regional managing partner at labour and employment law firm Fisher Phillips in Memphis, observes: "ICE is still showing up in their full tactical gear without identifying themselves necessarily, just to do things like serve a notice of inspection." While employers technically have three days to respond to I-9 audits, aggressive agent behaviour often creates pressure for immediate compliance.
Business Rights and Practical Responses
When ICE agents appear without warrants, businesses theoretically have the right to ask them to leave or refuse service based on company policies, particularly if safety concerns or operational disruptions are cited. However, John Medeiros, who leads corporate immigration practice at Minneapolis-based law firm Nilan Johnson Lewis, notes the reality on the ground: "That's not what we're seeing here in Minnesota. What we're seeing is they still conduct the activity."
Consequently, many businesses are shifting their focus from attempting to remove agents to preparing for potential legal violations. In Minneapolis, Chicago, Los Angeles, and other cities experiencing enforcement surges, companies are implementing practical measures including posting signs identifying private spaces, educating workers about different warrant types, and establishing clear protocols for ICE encounters.
Vanessa Matsis-McCready, associate general counsel and vice president of HR at Engage PEO, reports increased nationwide interest in I-9 self-audits across multiple sectors and greater emergency preparation among businesses of all sizes.
Corporate Responses and Public Pressure
The increased visibility and forcefulness of ICE operations at business locations has generated significant public outcry, with some criticism directed at companies perceived as insufficiently responsive. While some smaller business owners have spoken openly about enforcement impacts on workers and customers, several major corporations have maintained public silence regarding enforcement actions at their premises.
Target, headquartered in Minneapolis, has not commented publicly on videos showing federal agents detaining two employees, though incoming chief executive Michael Fiddelke was among the CEOs signing the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce's de-escalation letter. This letter also received support from the Business Roundtable, a lobbying organisation representing over two hundred company leaders.
Activist groups including "ICE Out of Minnesota" have specifically called upon Target, Home Depot—whose parking lots have become known raid sites—and Hilton hotels to take stronger public positions regarding ICE presence. Hilton and Home Depot did not respond to comment requests regarding activist calls, with Home Depot previously denying involvement in immigration operations.
Worker Organisations and Economic Concerns
Several labour groups have been more vocal in their responses. Ted Pappageorge, secretary-treasurer for a Las Vegas chapter of the Culinary Union, described members as shocked by a "widening pattern of unlawful ICE behaviour" nationwide and recognising that "anti-immigrant policies hurt tourism, business, and their families." The United Auto Workers has expressed solidarity with Minneapolis residents "fighting back against the federal government's abuses and attacks on the working class."
Jessie Hahn notes that some businesses are communicating concerns through industry associations to avoid direct retaliation while emphasising the broader economic implications: "We know that the raids are contributing to things like labour shortages and reduced foot traffic. Fears to push back on this abuse of power from Trump could ultimately land us in a very different looking economy."
The situation continues to evolve as businesses navigate the complex intersection of immigration enforcement, operational continuity, and public responsibility in an increasingly polarised political climate.
