Google DeepMind Staffers Ask Leaders to Keep Them ‘Physically Safe’ From ICE
The employees of Google DeepMind asked company executives for plans and policies to keep them “physically safe” from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) while on company premises, according to screenshots of internal messages obtained by WIRED.
On Monday morning, two days after federal agents fatally shot Alex Pretti, a Minneapolis nurse, a Google DeepMind employee posted the following message on an internal chat room for the company’s AI unit, which has about 3,000 people:
“US-centric question: What is GDM doing to physically protect us from ICE? The events of the past week have shown that immigration status, citizenship, or even the law are no deterrent to detention, violence, or even death at the hands of federal agents.”
He continues: “What kinds of plans and policies are in place to ensure we stay safe in the office? Getting to and from work? As we’ve seen, government agency tactics can change and escalate quite quickly. With offices in many metropolitan areas across the United States, are we prepared?”
The post received more than 20 “plus emoji” reactions from Google DeepMind employees.
As of Monday evening, no senior Google executive had responded to the message. In fact, Google’s top executives, including CEO Sundar Pichai and DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis, have remained silent about Pretti’s murder, even within the company, according to sources.
The posts show some of the latest divisions forming between AI companies and their employees over the Trump administration’s deployment of federal immigration agents across America. As Silicon Valley CEOs have largely knelt to Trump, their employees have begun to voice concerns internally and externally about the federal government’s actions.
Jeff Dean, chief scientist at Google DeepMind, has been one of the industry’s most vocal critics of ICE. In a post on X Sunday, he responded to a video of Pretti’s shooting by saying: “It’s absolutely shameful. »
Employees at defense technology company Palantir have questioned the company’s decision to work with ICE. WIRED previously reported that a Palantir employee wrote in Slack: “In my opinion, ICE is the bad guy. I’m not proud that the company I love working for so much is one of them.”
Employees at Palantir’s partner AI labs, including OpenAI, Google, Anthropic and Meta, also discussed whether to push executives to cut ties with the defense technology company, The New York Times reported.
Concerns about ICE agents entering Google offices are not unfounded. In a message obtained by WIRED, another Google DeepMind staffer raised concerns about a federal agent’s alleged attempt to enter the company’s Cambridge, Massachusetts, office in the fall.
Google’s head of security and risk operations responded to this post to clarify what happened. They noted that an “officer arrived at the front desk without notice” and that the officer “was not allowed entry because he did not have a warrant and left quickly.”
Google declined to comment.
Google is one of several Silicon Valley companies that rely on thousands of highly skilled foreign workers, many of whom are in the United States on visas. In light of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, these companies have had to offer increased protections to many of their workers. Late last year, Google and Apple advised employees on visas not to leave the country after the White House increased its screening of visa applicants.
At that time, Silicon Valley executives were quick to defend visa programs, which allowed the United States to attract top talent from around the world.
But Amnesty International leaders appear hesitant to comment on the federal government’s latest immigration measures. Beyond Google, senior executives at Silicon Valley companies including OpenAI, Meta, xAI, Apple, and Amazon have yet to publicly comment on ICE’s activities. According to DealBook, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman addressed the Minnesota incident in an internal company message, telling employees that “what is happening with ICE goes too far.”
