More than 900 employees at Google have signed an open letter pressing the company to terminate its business dealings with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
According to CNBC, over 900 Google workers have publicly criticized the company’s collaborations with federal immigration agencies, calling for complete transparency around those contracts and a full withdrawal from them. The internally circulated letter reflects growing unease among employees about how major technology firms contribute to government immigration enforcement efforts.
In the letter, employees say they are “appalled by the violence” and “horrified” by Google’s participation in ICE-related operations. They argue that Google’s tools and services are being used to support what they characterize as systems of surveillance, violence, and repression.
According to Breitbart News, the employees claim that Google Cloud currently plays a role in CBP surveillance programs and provides infrastructure for Palantir’s ImmigrationOS platform, which ICE relies on for its operations. They also note that CBP uses Google’s generative AI technology, while pointing out that the Google Play Store has blocked apps intended to monitor ICE activity.
The letter references comments made by Google Chief Scientist Jeff Dean, who wrote on social media in early January that “We all bear a collective responsibility to speak up and not be silent when we see things like the events of the last week.” The employees argue that this responsibility should apply to Google’s relationships with the Department of Homeland Security, CBP, and ICE.
“We are vehemently opposed to Google’s partnerships with DHS, CBP, and ICE,” the employees wrote. “We consider it our leadership’s ethical and policy-bound responsibility to disclose all contracts and collaboration with CBP and ICE, and to divest from these partnerships.”
The letter lays out several demands directed at Google leadership. Employees are asking the company to publicly recognize the risks they say ICE poses to workers. They are also calling for an emergency internal Q&A session focused specifically on contracts with DHS and military-related entities. Additional requests include safety protections for employees, such as flexible remote-work options and immigration-related support services.