Cargill, food companies keep close eye on U.S. travel ban

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Cargill Inc. is monitoring the travel ban imposed by President Trump as it could affect many of the company's employees.

"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-mail Sunday night. "We will continue to monitor the situation since it is evolving rapidly. Cargill is committed to maintaining a diverse and inclusive global workforce."

The agribusiness giant declined to offer specific problems its workers may be facing, citing "employee privacy" concerns.

Cargill employs more than 150,000 people in 70 countries. The company openly supports legal immigration. 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 country for 90 days.

But confusion remains on how to carry out the order with certain groups, like legal permanent U.S. residents. Cargill's U.S. operations rely on highly-skilled foreign workers, like scientists and engineers, and some immigrants at its agricultural facilities and manufacturing plants.

U.S. officials initially 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-by-case basis.

The technology industry also 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 number 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."

Kristen Leigh Painter • 612-673-4767

Source: Cargill, food companies keep close eye on U.S. travel ban