As of 20/1, over 220 individuals had signed a petition, with 140 publicly disclosing their names and workplaces. AnnE Diemer, a human resources consultant in San Francisco who drafted the letter, stated that six Google employees, three Amazon employees, and two from each of Meta, TikTok, and Salesforce were among the signatories. Several participants hold senior leadership positions at their companies.

The petition directly called on tech leaders: "Today, we call on our CEOs to pick up the phone once more: 1. Call the White House and demand that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents leave our cities. 2. Cancel all company contracts with ICE. 3. Speak out publicly against ICE's violence."

The US president converses with Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg during a dinner on 4/9/2025 at the White House. *Photo: AP*

Diemer, who previously worked at the payment company Stripe, explained that the petition aims to "dispel the long-held notion that the tech industry sides with Mr. Trump on immigration enforcement and that many companies have contracts with ICE". This initiative challenges the perception that tech companies universally support current immigration policies.

Historically, many tech corporations have donated millions of USD to US President Donald Trump's election campaign and various White House construction projects. This financial support has often been seen as an endorsement of his administration's policies.

In 11/2025, Mr. Trump himself stated that friends, including tech executives such as Marc Benioff of Salesforce, had persuaded him to postpone ICE's raids in San Francisco. This suggests a direct line of communication and influence between tech leaders and the administration.

Despite the petition's public release, tech company leaders have not yet commented. White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson dismissed the letter, strongly defending ICE's actions.

"ICE officers bravely enforce the law and protect American communities with the highest professionalism," Ms. Jackson stated. "Anyone criticizing law enforcement officers instead of criminals is simply doing the bidding of illegal immigrant criminals."

Law enforcement officers arrest a man during a protest in Minneapolis, Minnesota on 17/1. *Photo: AP*

Many tech employees, despite their anger, currently choose to remain silent. This is largely due to concerns about widespread industry layoffs, which have created an atmosphere of job insecurity.

Pete Warden, a former Apple and Google employee who now leads the startup Moonshine AI and signed the petition, confirmed this sentiment. "Many colleagues told me privately that they are very upset, but they fear losing their jobs if they speak out publicly," he said.

Hong Hanh (According to Washington Post, Cyber News)