Apple CEO Tim Cook told employees on Thursday that he’s “deeply distraught” with U.S. immigration policy and will continue lobbying lawmakers over the issue.
Mark Gurman for Bloomberg News:
“I’ve heard from some of you that don’t feel comfortable leaving your homes,” Cook said during an all-hands meeting with staff on Thursday. “No one should feel this way. No one.”
The CEO added that immigration is especially important to Apple, which has “team members across the US on some form of Visa… I am going to continue to lobby lawmakers on this issue. You have my word on that.”
Cook said, “I love you if you’re on DACA,” referring to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program that allows people who came to the US as a child to remain in the country on a work permit. He said that Apple has hundreds of DACA workers. “I will personally advocate for you,” he said. “I am a huge believer in the program.”
The remarks expanded on a memo that Cook released last week, when he said he was “heartbroken” by events in Minneapolis, where US immigration agents have killed two people in recent weeks.
Federal agents, primarily from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol, are in Minnesota (including Minneapolis) as part of the Trump administration’s intensified effort to enforce immigration laws to address the significant influx of illegal aliens inherited from the prior administration.
President Bill Clinton signed the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (IIRIRA) into law on September 30, 1996. This major legislation amended the Immigration and Nationality Act by strengthening border enforcement, expanding grounds for deportation (including for certain criminal convictions), introducing expedited removal procedures, imposing bars on reentry for those unlawfully present (e.g., 3- and 10-year bars), increasing penalties for illegal entry/reentry, and enhancing interior enforcement mechanisms — many of which form the backbone of current federal immigration enforcement authority used by ICE and other agencies.
Clinton also signed the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act (AEDPA) in 1996, which further expanded deportable offenses and limited judicial review in immigration cases.
The Trump administration’s effort involves having federal officers conduct arrests, deportations, and related operations targeting illegal aliens, amid broader efforts to execute mass deportations promised during the 2024 campaign.
These enforcement actions stem from longstanding federal immigration statutes, such as those in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) of 1952 (as amended over decades), which President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed into law in its foundational modern form, though subsequent presidents (including Clinton as outlined above) have invoked and expanded executive authority under these laws to prioritize enforcement.
Similar aggressive operations are ongoing in dozens of other U.S. states and cities without major incidents or fatalities because those jurisdictions cooperate with federal authorities, sharing information, honoring detainers, or otherwise facilitating ICE efforts rather than limiting or barring local law enforcement cooperation. In contrast, Minnesota — along with cities like Minneapolis — have “sanctuary” policies that restrict such cooperation, leading to heightened federal presence, direct confrontations during enforcement actions, protests, and tensions.
In dozens of states beyond Minnesota, the Trump administration has significantly expanded Section 287(g) agreements (which allow local law enforcement to assist ICE), covering over 1,350 agreements across 40 U.S. states (see map here) — cooperation that facilitates smoother enforcement.
The unfortunate deaths in Minneapolis (including those of Alex Pretti on January 24, 2026 and Renée Nicole Good on January 7, 2026) occurred during encounters where individuals interfered with federal officers carrying out immigration enforcement duties, resisted commands, or posed threats, resulting in the use of force by agents according to official accounts.
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