CorporateComplicity
When corporations make a takeover possible
During a federal takeover, there are no neutral corporations. Employers control workplace access, records, and protocols. Many small businesses in Minneapolis and Chicago took risks to protect workers and keep ICE out, staffing doors, posting signs, and calling on neighbors when agents showed up.
They showed that larger corporations saying there was nothing they could do were still making choices about what happened on their property and to their workers.
Hear from people who lived it
3 signs to look for
Business resources used for enforcement
Rental cars, airline seats, hotel rooms, parking lots, and other everyday business services can help federal agents move and operate without drawing much attention. A company can make enforcement easier through its property or services without ever publicly supporting it.
Workers left without protections
Employers can set rules on how federal agents use their property, from parking lots to loading docks. They can protect worker records and make sure staff knows what to do if agents arrive. Without a plan, workers are left making high-stakes safety decisions alone, while agents face fewer barriers to people or information that could put them at risk.
Corporate lip service
A company can stay silent while workers are at risk or agents are using its property, then call for tensions to ease without changing what it actually does. Look past the statement. Does it limit federal access, protect worker records, or set limits on what it voluntarily shares or allows? The real test is not what a corporation says, but whether its choices make it easier or harder for federal agents to operate.
What to do about it
Pay attention to who you trust to tell you what’s happening. In Minneapolis and Chicago, communities built trusted ways to verify information and move the truth before rumors became the public story. Know your local reporters, community groups, and trusted messengers. Document without exposing people. Verify before sharing. Help reliable information travel farther.