“The escalating events in Minneapolis have resulted in the tragic loss of life and have deeply impacted individuals, families, and communities,” Martha said in a LinkedIn post sharing an open letter signed by him and other business leaders, which read:
“The business community in Minnesota prides itself in providing leadership and solving problems to ensure a strong and vibrant state. The recent challenges facing our state have created widespread disruption and tragic loss of life. For the past several weeks, representatives of Minnesota’s business community have been working every day behind the scenes with federal, state and local officials to advance real solutions. These efforts have included close communication with the Governor, the White House, the Vice President and local mayors. There are ways for us to come together to foster progress.
“With yesterday’s tragic news, we are calling for an immediate de-escalation of tensions and for state, local and federal officials to work together to find real solutions.
“We have been working for generations to build a strong and vibrant state here in Minnesota and will do so in the months and years ahead with equal and even greater commitment. In this difficult moment for our community, we call for peace and focused cooperation among local, state and federal leaders to achieve a swift and durable solution that enables families, businesses, our employees, and communities across Minnesota to resume our work to build a bright and prosperous future.”
Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota
It’s the first statement from leaders of major medtech companies in one of the industry’s leading hubs as it’s been targeted with aggressive deportation operations by federal agents from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
On Jan. 7, another Minneapolis resident, Renee Good, was fatally shot by an ICE agent, and local schools closed after federal agents used chemical weapons and tackled people near a high school the next day. Thousands of people demonstrated in Minneapolis on Friday as local businesses closed to protest the federal operations.
After the latest shooting on Saturday, Minnesota law enforcement officials said federal agents denied them access to the scene even though they had a warrant to investigate. A federal judge soon after issued a temporary restraining order against DHS to prevent it from altering or destroying evidence.
Dr. Uzma Samadani, the Minnesota neurosurgeon who founded device developer Oculogica, said she remembered Pretti for his “outstanding care and positive attitude” while treating one of her ICU patients in December.
“You made the world better with your kindness and compassion,” she said on LinkedIn. “You are missed deeply!”
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi told Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz that ICE would withdraw from Minneapolis if the state handed over its voter rolls. Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon called that request “an outrageous attempt to coerce Minnesota into giving the federal government private data on millions of U.S. citizens in violation of state and federal law.”
On Monday, Republican Chris Madel — a lawyer who provided legal counsel to to the ICE agent who shot Good, Jonathan Ross — ended his campaign to be Minnesota’s next governor, saying he “can not support the national Republicans’ stated retribution on the citizens of our state, nor can I count myself a member of a party that would do so.
“Operation Metro Surge has expanded far beyond its stated focus on true public safety threats,” Madel said.
In response to Martha’s post, one Medtronic employee said,”There is real fear and disenfranchised grief amongst employees. Even the most compelling mission can’t be at the forefront if people feel unsafe, so thank you.”
But some said the statement didn’t go far enough.
“Be courageous and denounce ICE publicly,” Venstra Medical Chief Operating Officer Jordon Honeck wrote in response to Martha’s post. Honeck had a career of nearly 14 years at Medtronic.
Elizabeth Costello, a former Medtronic communications director, called the statement “soft — especially given the scale of economic influence these companies hold.”
She continued, “With that level of impact, you’d hope the leaders could move beyond the ‘both sides’ need to work it out framing, and take a clearer stance. At the same time, when you see 60 organizations signing onto something this broad, it’s hard not to assume the language was intentionally watered down to get everyone on board. Still, it’s disappointing. Given the very real humanitarian crisis that is unfolding, many of us were hoping for something with more moral clarity and less corporate neutrality.”
Last week, medical device industry association AdvaMed discussed its ongoing work with the Trump administration, focused on FDA fees and operations, tariffs and U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) coverage.
This article was originally published on Jan. 25, 2026, and updated on Jan. 26 with new details.
