More than 450 tech workers from companies like Google, Meta, OpenAI, Amazon, and Salesforce have signed up letter Urge CEOs to call the White House and ask United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to leave US cities.
“For months, Trump has sent federal agents into cities to criminalize us, our neighbors, friends, colleagues, and family members,” said an open letter from IceOut.Tech. “From Minneapolis to Los Angeles to Chicago, we have seen armed and masked thugs bring violence, kidnapping, terror and cruelty without end.”
Minneapolis has become the focal point of a large-scale federal immigration operation, using tactics so powerful that many have characterized them. as a military occupation. The operation was marked by confrontations between federal agents and community members protesting the attack, with law enforcement indiscriminately deploying crowd control tactics, including pepper spray, tear gas, rubber bullets, and sound cannons.
“This cannot continue, and we know the tech industry can make a difference,” the letter from tech industry workers continued. “When Trump threatened to send the National Guard to San Francisco in October, technology industry leaders called the White House. It works: Trump resigned.”
A campaign among tech workers started soon after ICE agents shot and killed US citizen Renee Good in Minneapolis three weeks ago, and grew over the weekend after Border Patrol agents shot and killed Alex Prettia 37-year-old ICU nurse at a Minneapolis VA hospital.
The organizers of the letter did not reveal their names, and many signed the letter anonymously for fear of retaliation. TechCrunch has obtained more information.
Several tech leaders have spoken out about the federal action in Minneapolis. LinkedIn Founder Reid Hoffman said the way ICE operates “terrible for people,” and the founder of Khosla Ventures Vinod Khosla called current enforcement “Macho ICE vigilantes running amuck fed by an unconscious administration.” Google DeepMind chief scientist Jeff Dean called for “everyone regardless of political affiliation” oppose the escalation of violence. OpenAI’s head of global business, James Dyett, criticized the silent industry, post on X “There is more outrage from tech leaders over wealth taxes than masked ICE agents terrorizing communities.”
Techcrunch event
San Francisco
|
13-15 October 2026
The President’s Signal Meredith Whittaker Bemoaned that masked agents “execute people in the streets and powerful leaders open to cover for them. For all those in the industry who once claimed to respect freedom – draw on the courage of conviction and stand up.”
Still, many of the most powerful figures in the leadership of technology have not only remained silent about their opposition to the Trump administration’s directives, but they have actively tried to undermine the president. Amazon owner Jeff Bezos, Apple CEO Tim CookGoogle CEO Sundar Pichai and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg all attended President Trump’s inauguration and contributed to the inauguration fund either personally or through their company. No one has spoken publicly about the ICE raid.
OpenAI President Greg Brockman and his wife Anna are also important donors causes and candidates associated with President Trumpand has refrained from speaking out. In line with his anti-immigration views, Elon Musk has actively supported ICE operations, calling out protesters “pure evil.”
The letter also calls on the tech CEO to cancel all of the company’s contracts with ICE — a potentially costly demand, as some say The technology company currently holds a contract with ICE. Palantir is one of ICE’s most important technology partners. Last year the company was awarded $30 million contract to build a new AI-driven surveillance platform called “ImmigrationOS.” Last year, facial recognition companies Clearview AI signed the contract to provide ICE with face-matching technology. Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, and Oracle also provides cloud infrastructure for the Department of Homeland Security and ICE, as well as IT services.
TechCrunch has reached out to the company for comment.
Got a sensitive tip or confidential document? We report on how the AI industry works – from the companies shaping the future to the people affected by their decisions. Contact Rebecca Bellan at rebecca.bellan@techcrunch.com or Russell Brandom at russell.brandom@techcrunch.com. For secure communication, you can contact us via Signal at @rebeccabellan.491 and @russellbrandom.49.