Meta Layoff Victim Detained by US Immigration Authorities in Texas
Internal company communications reveal the detention of a former Meta worker, highlighting the precarious position of international staff on employer-tied visas amid escalating enforcement under the Trump administration.
A former Meta employee who was laid off on 20 May has been detained by US immigration authorities in El Paso, Texas, according to internal company communications reviewed by WIRED. The incident, first reported by a current employee on an internal messaging board dedicated to immigration topics, marks a rare instance of a corporate technology worker being taken into custody since President Donald Trump launched escalated enforcement efforts early last year.
The initial post on the internal board was marked as urgent and tagged two Meta executives responsible for immigration issues and employee risk, indicating an attempt to escalate the matter to leadership. Internal messages suggest the former colleague was being held near a major US-Mexico border crossing. On the opposite side of the border lies Ciudad Juárez, home to one of the largest US consular offices in the region and a common destination for visa processing.
Meta spokesperson Dave Arnold declined to comment on the record. Representatives from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the US Department of Homeland Security did not provide comment in time for publication. It remains unclear whether the employee was detained by ICE, Customs and Border Protection, or another agency, and their current status and location are unknown.
The detention occurs against the backdrop of Meta’s recent workforce reduction of nearly 10 per cent, affecting approximately 8,000 people. The cuts were implemented to offset massive investments in artificial intelligence infrastructure. Many of the affected international employees work on H-1B visas, which are tied to a specific employer. Workers who lose their jobs must often adjust their immigration paperwork, sometimes by leaving and re-entering the country to maintain legal status.
WIRED was unable to confirm the worker’s nationality or the specific type of visa they held. Under the Trump administration, immigration authorities have arrested tens of thousands of people monthly, with approximately 60,000 individuals in detention centres as of early April. While tech offices have not typically been targets for raids, immigration authorities arrested two workers travelling to a Meta data centre construction site in January.
Amid what some employees describe as a lack of support from the company, a small community of Meta staff has begun organising financial and logistical aid for colleagues dealing with immigration issues. Workers have demanded that Meta do more to protect immigrant employees and contractors at risk of detention or deportation, including helping to pay for legal fees and allowing workers to avoid offices on days they fear immigration officials might be present.
