Federal immigration agents on Saturday shot and killed a US citizen in Minneapolis — the second fatal shooting involving ICE officers this month — adding more fuel to an already explosive national debate over immigration enforcement.
The killing sparked an outcry on Minneapolis streets, as well as online, eliciting sharp responses from all sides, including leaders in the business and tech communities.
The billionaire CEO of Pershing Square Capital Management, Bill Ackman, for instance, wrote in a post on X that it was “time to take the temperature down before more lives are lost.”
Minnesota officials, including Gov. Tim Walz, criticized the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, for what they said were overly aggressive tactics. The DHS, meanwhile, defended its agents, arguing that they are being provoked by unruly protesters and an uncooperative city government and police.
Thousands of ICE officers began descending on Minnesota on December 1 as part of Operation Metro Surge. The DHS says it is targeting criminal activity among immigrants in the state and has deployed over 2,000 ICE agents across Minnesota.
Residents of Minneapolis and neighboring St. Paul have been protesting since the federal immigration agents arrived. Those demonstrations grew more intense after the first fatal shooting on January 7. In that incident, ICE agents shot and killed Renee Good, 37, as she tried to drive away in a car.
Here’s how business and tech leaders are reacting to the latest violence.
Bill Ackman
The hedge-fund billionaire called for calm in an X post on Saturday, lamenting that the United States had reached a point where “there are only two sides to every issue and every incident.”
“Individuals are ‘convicted’ of serious crimes in the headlines, by politicians appealing to their base, and ultimately in the minds of the public, or they are exonerated, before all of the facts are in and a detailed investigation has been completed,” He wrote. “This is not good for America.”
Just two hours later, in another post on X, Ackman laid the blame on Minnesota’s state government.
“It is almost as if the governor of Minnesota called for protesters to intervene in ICE enforcements in an incendiary manner,” he said, tagging Walz. “Inciting the people to rise up against law enforcement is guaranteed to end badly, and now we have seen the tragic consequences.”
Reid Hoffman
Like Ackman, billionaire LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman is perpetually online, posting frequently on social media. He has been largely quiet this weekend, though he has reposted comments from other people, including one that called ICE “out of control.”
In another post that Hoffman amplified, an X user called out “chronically online tech leaders” for suddenly falling quiet. Another X user called on business and tech leaders to use their platform to stand up to the Trump administration and its immigration enforcement tactics, to which Hoffman replied, “It’s time for all Americans to do so.”
James Dyett
James Dyett, head of global business at OpenAI, also called on leaders in the tech and business communities to use their influence to criticize the Trump administration’s immigration policies.
“There is far more outrage from tech leaders over a wealth tax than masked ICE agents terrorizing communities and executing civilians in the streets,” Dyer wrote on X. “Tells you what you need to know about the values of our industry.”
Jeff Dean
Jeff Dean, Google DeepMind’s chief scientist, wrote in response to a video of the shooting circulating on X: “This is absolutely shameful.”
“Agents of a federal agency unnecessarily escalating, and then executing a defenseless citizen whose offense appears to be using his cellphone camera,” he wrote. “Every person, regardless of political affiliation, should be denouncing this.”
Minneapolis police confirmed that Pretti, who was filming ICE agents when they wrestled him to the ground, was legally carrying a gun.
Border Patrol officials said Pretti had threatened them with the gun, but multiple videos of the incident show that agents had already disarmed and subdued Pretti when he was shot.
Jason Calacanis
Jason Calacanis, a prominent investor and entrepreneur who is these days perhaps most known as one of the hosts of the popular “All-In” podcast, blamed the country’s political leaders in a post on X on Sunday.
“Once again, I will remind everyone that our leaders are failing us,” he wrote. “True leadership would be to calm this situation down by telling these non-peaceful protesters to stay home while recalling these inadequately-trained agents.”
He later posted that “all of this violence” could be avoided by fining businesses that hire immigrants who are not in the country legally.
Cristina Cordova
Cristina Cordova, the chief operating officer at Linear, a product management software company, called the incident “indefensible” in a post on X.
“The victim’s legally owned handgun was removed from the scene, and then ICE agents shot him multiple times. It’s far from law enforcement — it’s just murder,” she wrote.
“Those who defend this don’t care about law or order. It’s about money, power, and protecting an executive branch that’s already been bought and paid for.”
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