Google DeepMind Employees Seek Assurances of Safety from ICE

Employees at Google DeepMind, the company's artificial intelligence unit, requested leadership to implement plans and policies to ensure their physical safety from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) while on company property, according to internal messages obtained by WIRED. The request followed the death of Alex Pretti, a Minneapolis nurse, who was shot and killed by federal agents.

On Monday morning, two days after Pretti's death, a Google DeepMind employee posted a message on an internal message board, addressing the company's roughly 3,000-person AI unit. The message questioned what Google DeepMind was doing to keep employees physically safe from ICE, citing concerns that immigration status, citizenship, or even the law were not deterrents against detention, violence, or death from federal operatives. The employee continued that the events of the past week had shown that immigration status, citizenship, or even the law is not a deterrent against detention, violence, or even death from federal operatives.

The internal message highlights growing concerns among tech employees regarding potential interactions with federal immigration authorities and the need for company support and protection. The request for clear policies and safety measures reflects a broader anxiety within the tech industry regarding immigration enforcement and its impact on employees.