Minnesota Employees Urge Thomson Reuters to End ICE Contract

A $22.8 million contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement has unsettled employees of Thomson Reuters in Minnesota. The company, which owns Westlaw and the Reuters news service, has operations in the suburbs of Minneapolis where thousands of its workers live.

Many were directly affected by Operation Metro Surge, when thousands of ICE agents arrived in Minneapolis. One employee said ICE agents had raided his child’s school; another bought groceries for immigrant neighbors who were afraid to leave their homes; two had carried whistles to alert community members.

More than 200 employees have signed a letter asking that the company not renew the ICE contract when it expires in May. "We have experienced our neighbors, friends and family members undergoing arrests and detention, intimidation and harassment, and public violence," the letter said.

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