Warriors’ Steve Kerr reflects on Minnesota ICE protests
Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr reflected on ICE and protests over their presence in Minnesota, especially compared to games in the NBA.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman told employees in an internal message that ICE is “going too far” with its immigration strategy, becoming the latest company executive to express concern about harsh enforcement in Minnesota.
Over the weekend, federal agents shot and killed a protester in Minneapolis, the second shooting this month that sparked widespread disapproval of Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s actions. After weeks of silence, more than 60 CEOs signed a statement calling for de-escalation.
“What’s happening at ICE is going too far,” Altman said in a Slack message to employees of the ChatGPT maker, according to a person familiar with the matter. “There’s a big difference between deporting violent criminals and what’s happening now, and we need to get the distinctions right.”
Apple Inc AAPL.O Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook also addressed the incident, saying he was “heartbroken” by the events in Minneapolis and called for “de-escalation,” Bloomberg reported late Tuesday, citing an internal memo to employees.
Cook also said he had discussed the matter with US President Donald Trump, according to the report. Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside of normal business hours.
“I love America and its values of democracy and freedom, and I will support this country in any way I can, and so will OpenAI,” Altman said in the message, which was first reported in The New York Times Dealbook. “But part of loving our country is America’s duty to resist excess.”
Altman’s comments come amid a rift at Khosla Ventures, an early backer of OpenAI. Founder Vinod Khosla and partner Ethan Choi rejected comments by partner Keith Lavoie over the weekend that law enforcement does not shoot innocent people and that illegal immigrants routinely commit crimes.
Many companies have been hesitant to criticize President Trump, who is in his second term.
Since Operation Metro Surge began in Minneapolis in December, major Minnesota companies have been largely silent about the impact of the immigration crackdown on the state, a Midwest liberal stronghold and major business hub.
Leaders of companies including 3M, UnitedHealth Group and General Mills have called for de-escalation after a second mass shooting last weekend.
More than 450 employees from companies including Google, MetaPlatforms Inc. META.O , Salesforce CRM.N and Open AI signed a letter Saturday calling on their executives to pull ICE from U.S. cities, terminate all contracts with ICE, and pressure the White House to publicly speak out against ICE violence.
Altman added: “President Trump is a very strong leader and I hope he will rise to this moment and unite our country. I am encouraged by his response in recent hours and am hopeful that a transparent investigation will rebuild trust.”
Reporting by DEEEE SEETHAIN in San Francisco, NATIA BUENO REBOBOBOLEDO in Mexico City and Bipasha dey in Benrule. Editing: Thomas Darpinhaus
