Inside the CEO revolt against ICE: From Altman to Target, Corporate America demands ‘de-escalation’

US businesses and top CEOs are speaking out against the country’s federal law enforcement authorities, including US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers, demanding an “immediate de-escalation” of tensions. Their urgent call for change follows the fatal shootings of ICU nurse Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good within a few weeks’ time at the hands of federal agents in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Those standing in solidarity with the masses include CEOs of 60 Minnesota-based companies, and now reportedly even the likes of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Apple boss Tim Cook. Here’s how top CEOs joined in on the ‘ICE Out’ movement by voicing their disapproval of the immigration authorities.

Hundreds of employees join the anti-ICE movement

This past Saturday, over 450 employees from top companies like Google, Meta Platforms and OpenAI signed a letter urging their top executive to exert pressure on the White House to withdraw ICE from American cities. They also pushed their company leaders to influence the government into cancelling contracts with ICE, while also urging them to speak out publicly against violence caused by ICE.

Sam Altman and Tim Cook speak out against ICE

Following weeks of silence on the matter, OpenAI’s Sam Altman weighed in on the brutal headlines coming out of Minneapolis in a Slack chat thread. According to sources familiar with the matter, the tech mogul shared the message with the ChatGPT maker’s employees, the New York Times’ DealBook first reported the development.

US businesses demand reversal of Minnesota violence

The CEOs of 60 Minnesota-based companies, including Target, Best Buy and General Mills, also put up a united front by issuing an open letter on January 25. In it, they also asked for an “immediate de-escalation of tensions.”

Released by the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce the day after Alex Pretti’s fatal shooting, the letter said, “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.”

The open letter added, “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.”

Minneapolis unrest intensifies: How it all began

In its stated purpose of arresting illegal immigrants and deporting them, ICE and Border Patrol kicked off their still ongoing ‘Operation Metro Surge’ from December 2025 onwards. The so-called operation first initiated a targeted approach in Twin Cities, aka Minneapolis and St Paul, but it eventually ended up encompassing all of the state of Minnesota.

Soon, the operation took a larger-than-life shape as the Trump admin said it had launched “the largest immigration enforcement operation ever carried out” by deploying thousands of federal agents to the Minneapolis area for a crackdown linked to allegations of fraud tied to Somali residents.

Local authorities have since questioned the admin’s approach, raising concerns about how the operation was singling out the area’s Somali community. According to the AP, the Minneapolis-St Paul area is home to about 84,000 people of Somali descent, accounting for nearly a third of Somalis in the US.

Since then, multiple reports of shootings have emerged from the state. Two of those notably made headlines in January itself, resulting in the deaths of Minneapolis residents Renee Good and Alex Pretti.