- Over 900 Google employees signed a letter urging divestment from ICE and CBP
- Workers cited surveillance practices and recent killings linked to ICE operations
- The letter alleges Google Cloud and AI tools support immigration enforcement
- Employees demand transparency, internal discussions, and worker protections
- The move follows similar pressure campaigns across the tech industry
Nearly a thousand Google employees have publicly called on the company’s leadership to sever ties with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), escalating internal pressure over the tech giant’s involvement with federal immigration enforcement agencies.
More than 900 workers signed an open letter demanding transparency around Google’s contracts with ICE and CBP and urging the company to divest from what they describe as agencies engaged in systemic violence. The letter references the killings of Keith Porter, Renee Good, and Alex Pretti, stating that employees are “appalled by the violence” and “horrified” by Google’s role in supporting it.
“Google is powering this campaign of surveillance, violence, and repression,” the letter states.
Employees allege that Google Cloud technology supports CBP surveillance operations and provides infrastructure for Palantir’s ImmigrationOS system, which is used by ICE. The letter further claims that Google’s generative artificial intelligence tools are used by CBP and that the Google Play Store has blocked applications designed to track ICE activity.
The letter also cites a social media post by Google Chief Scientist Jeff Dean from early January, in which he wrote, “We all bear a collective responsibility to speak up and not be silent when we see things like the events of the last week.”
Building on that sentiment, the workers wrote, “We are vehemently opposed to Google’s partnerships with DHS, CBP, and ICE.” They added, “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.”
Beyond divestment, the employees are calling for immediate internal action. Their demands include an emergency company-wide question-and-answer session addressing Google’s Department of Homeland Security and military contracts, enhanced safety protections for workers, flexible work-from-home options, and expanded immigration support resources.
The letter urges Google to clearly define ethical boundaries around government partnerships. “As workers of conscience, we demand that our leadership end our backslide into contracting for governments enacting violence against civilians,” it reads. “Google is now a prominent node in a shameful lineage of private companies profiting from violent state repression. We must use this moment to come together as a Googler community and demand an end to this disgraceful use of our labor.”
