Sam Altman Says ICE Is “Going Too Far” After Minneapolis Border Patrol Shooting

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman publicly criticized Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and related border enforcement actions as "going too far" after a Border Patrol agent shot and killed 37-year-old Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, according to messages obtained by The New York Times and Business Insider.

What Altman Said

"I love the US and its values of democracy and freedom and will be supportive of the country however I can; OpenAI will too," Altman wrote in a note to employees. "But part of loving the country is the American duty to push back against overreach. What’s happening with ICE is going too far. There is a big difference between deporting violent criminals and what’s happening now, and we need to get the distinction right."

The Incident

Pretti, 37, was shot and killed by a Border Patrol agent on Saturday in Minneapolis, a city already on edge following the earlier fatal shooting this month of 37-year-old Renee Good. Local and federal authorities are conducting investigations; Altman said he was "encouraged by the last few hours of response and hope to see trust rebuilt with transparent investigations."

Administration Response

Reports indicate the White House has pulled Greg Bovino, commander of the U.S. Border Patrol, out of Minneapolis and is sending border czar Tom Homan in his place — a move widely framed as an attempt to recalibrate the administration’s approach to the situation.

Other Tech Reactions

Altman — who has maintained a generally cordial relationship with President Trump during his second term and even praised the president as a "very strong leader" in his note — is among the most high-profile tech figures to publicly criticize ICE. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, in an unrelated essay, emphasized the importance of preserving democratic values in light of what he called the "horror" in Minnesota. Venture capitalist Vinod Khosla condemned some ICE actions, calling agents "vigilantes" empowered by a "conscience-less administration," while Keith Rabois, also of Khosla Ventures, defended ICE, arguing that "no law enforcement has shot an innocent person."

Altman’s Corporate Stance

Altman reiterated OpenAI’s intent to remain consistent in its values: "As a company, we aim to stick to our convictions and not get blown around by changing fashions too much. We didn’t become super woke when that was popular... and we are not going to make a lot of performative statements now about safety or politics or anything else."

This episode has prompted sharp division among tech leaders and public officials about law enforcement practices and the proper balance between national security and civil liberties. Investigations and public scrutiny are likely to continue as Minneapolis and federal authorities examine the circumstances of the shooting.