Nearly 900 Google employees have called on the company to sever its ties with federal immigration enforcement, amid growing concerns over ICE and CBP operations that have recently turned violent. The staff released an open letter on Friday demanding greater transparency about how Google’s technology is being used by the US government.
Employees cited Google’s cloud contracts and collaborations with federal agencies, which they say contribute to militarised actions against immigrants. Alex, a seven-year Google veteran, said he once took pride in the company’s “moral compass” but now finds it “abhorrent” that his work supports DHS, ICE, and CBP operations. Another employee, “S,” said she would not have joined Google had she known of these collaborations.
Staff are calling for an end to the use of Google technology in immigration enforcement, safeguards to keep employees from being involved in such operations, and an all-hands meeting to address their concerns. The open letter comes after similar appeals from workers at Amazon, Microsoft, and Meta, who have urged tech companies to stop supporting the federal crackdown on immigrants.
Google’s history of employee pushback includes abandoning the Pentagon’s Project Maven in 2018. The company also recently partnered with Lockheed Martin to deploy Gemini AI models and works with Palantir, which supplies technology to DHS, ICE, CBP, and the military. Google has not commented on the letter.
Employees say their decision to speak out reflects ethical concerns over contributing to operations that endanger lives and perpetuate forced removals.
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