HomeMy WebLinkAbout2017 01-30 Cargill, 3M keep close eye on U.S. travel ban STAR TRUBINE2/1/2017
Cargill, 3M keep close eye on U.S. travel ban - StarTribune.com
BUSINESS
Cargill, 3M keep close eye on U.S. travel
ban
Minnesota's most-diverse employers count on global movement of
employees.
By Kristen Leigh Painter (http://www.startribune.com/kristen-leigh-painter/276895091/) Star
Tribune
JANUARY 30, 2017 — 8:56PM
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The two Minnesota firms with the most globally �}j����{���qg���_�}ER�
3M Co. — said Monday they are closely monitoring President Donald Trump's travel
restrictions for their effects on employees and their work.
"Cargill is working with its travel and security partners to determine what the action
means for our employees," the Wayzata-based company said in an e-mailed statement.
"We will continue to monitor die situation since it is evolving rapidly. Cargill is
committed to maintaining a diverse and inclusive global workforce."
A 3M representative said the firm is monitoring the situation.
Both companies employ more people outside the U.S. than inside and they rely on
America's open borders to do business.
Trump signed an executive order Friday that suspends refugees awaiting resettlement in
the U.S. for 120 days and Syrian refugees indefinitely. It also bars people from seven
majority-Muslim nations, including Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen,
from entering the U.S. for 90 days.
But confusion remains on how the order impacts groups like legal permanent U.S.
residents. Cargill's U.S. operations rely on highly skilled foreigners like scientists and
engineers, and some immigrants at its agriculture facilities and manufacturing plants.
Cargill employs more than 150,000 people in 70 countries, with more than 100,000
outside North America.
The company openly sunnorts le�al immi�ration
(httns://�vww.careill.com/news/immieration-issue) . U.S. officials uutially said the ban
would apply to green-card holders — those who live and work in the U.S. legally — but
backpedaled on this issue Sunday. The White House said green-card holders who are
traveling abroad would just be subject to further questioning upon re-entry and handled
on a case-Uy-case basis.
3M, meanwhile, has about 90,000 employees worldwide, including about 53,000 outside
the U.S. The Maplewood-based company straddles the industrial and high-tech sectors
with a wide variety of manufactured products, from Post-it notes to sophisticated
medical devices and high-tech films used in electronics devices.
The technology industry relies heavily on skilled foreign workers to fill the demand for
software engineers. Many Silicon Valley companies, including Facebook, Google and
Apple, publicly criticized the ban over the weekend.
The North American Meat Institute, which includes member companies like Austin-
based Hormel Foods Corp. and Cargill Meat Solutions, expressed concern over the
potential changes to the workforce.
"As the administration pursues changes to the nation's refugee policies, we hope it will
give careful consideration to the ramifications policy changes like these can have on our
businesses and on foreign-born workers who are eager to build new lives in America
through the jobs our companies can offer," Barry Carpenter, the organization's chief
executive, said in a statement.
The organization did not have data on the nuinUer of refugees employed by the meat
industry, but Carpenter said, "Historically, our industry has been an excellent starting
point for new Americans. Immigrants and refugees can be an important component of
some companies' labor forces."
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2/1/2017
Cargill, 3M keep close eye on U.S. travel ban - StarTribune.com
Hormel, in a written statement, said, "We are certainly aware of this latest action and
the potential impact on employees and will offer advice and counsel to those impacted
by the ban."
Staff writer Dee DePass contributed to this report.
kristen.painter@startribune.com 612.673.4767 KristenPainter
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