Tech Industry Rebellion: Over 450 Workers Demand ICE Withdrawal from U.S.Cities
A growing wave of dissent within the tech sector is challenging the industry’s relationship with federal immigration enforcement, as more than 450 employees from leading companies urge their CEOs to take a stand against U.S. Immigration and Customs enforcement (ICE) operations.
A letter circulating among tech workers at companies including Google, meta, OpenAI, Amazon, and Salesforce calls on leadership to directly pressure the White House to remove ICE from U.S. cities. The movement, spearheaded by the anonymous group IceOut.Tech, reflects a growing frustration with what many see as increasingly aggressive and militarized immigration enforcement tactics. “We’re at a breaking point,” one signatory told TechCrunch. “This isn’t about politics; it’s about basic human rights. We can’t continue to profit from systems that are causing so much harm.”
The current surge in activism was ignited by a series of incidents in Minneapolis. The campaign gained momentum after ICE agents shot and killed U.S. citizen Renee Good three weeks ago, and further intensified following the death of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital, at the hands of Border Patrol agents over the weekend.
Minneapolis has become a focal point,with federal immigration operations described by many as a “military occupation.” Protests against the raids have been met with aggressive crowd control measures, including the deployment of pepper spray, tear gas, rubber bullets, and sound cannons.
The letter’s authors point to a previous instance where tech industry leaders successfully intervened with the White House. “When Trump threatened to send the National Guard to San Francisco in October, tech industry leaders called the White house. It worked: Trump backed down,” the letter states,emphasizing the potential influence of the sector.
Many signatories have chosen to remain anonymous, citing fears of professional retribution.Despite this, a number of tech leaders have publicly voiced their opposition. LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman characterized ICE’s operations as “terrible for the people,” while Khosla Ventures founder Vinod Khosla labeled the enforcement actions as the work of “macho ICE vigilantes running amuck empowered by a conscious-less governance.” Google DeepMind’s chief scientist Jeff Dean called for universal condemnation of the escalating violence, and OpenAI’s head of global business, James Dyett, criticized the industry’s relative silence, noting on X that “there is far more outrage from tech leaders over a wealth tax than masked ICE agents terrorizing communities.”
Signal President Meredith Whittaker expressed outrage, stating that masked agents are “executing people in the streets and powerful leaders are openly lying to cover for them.To everyone in my industry who’s ever claimed to value freedom – draw on the courage of your convictions and stand up.”
However, the letter also highlights a troubling contrast: the silence – and even active support – of some of the industry’s most powerful figures. Amazon owner Jeff Bezos,Apple CEO Tim Cook,Google CEO Sundar Pichai,and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg all attended President Trump’s inauguration and contributed to his inauguration fund,yet have remained publicly silent on the recent ICE raids. OpenAI president Greg Brockman and his wife anna are also donors to causes associated with President Trump,and have not publicly opposed the operations. Elon Musk, known for his anti-immigration views, has actively supported ICE, dismissing protestors as “pure evil.”
The demands extend beyond public statements. The letter calls for tech CEOs to sever all financial ties with ICE, a perhaps costly proposition given the existing contracts between several tech firms and the agency. Palantir stands out as a key partner, having been awarded a $30 million contract last year to develop “ImmigrationOS,” an AI-driven surveillance platform. Clearview AI also secured a contract last year to provide ICE with facial-matching technology. Additionally, Amazon web Services, Microsoft, and Oracle provide crucial cloud infrastructure and IT services to both the Department of Homeland Security and ICE.
TechCrunch has reached out to the aforementioned companies for comment.
this growing unrest within the tech industry underscores a deepening ethical dilemma: the balance between profit and principle when collaborating with agencies involved in controversial enforcement practices. The coming weeks will reveal whether the pressure from within will translate into meaningful action from the industry’s leadership.
