Nearly 1,000 Google employees have signed an open letter criticising the company's work with US immigration enforcement agencies and urging leadership to disclose and ultimately end its contracts with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
The letter, titled 'Googlers Demand: Worker Safety and ICE Contract Transparency,' states that employees are 'appalled by violence' linked to recent immigration operations and 'horrified' by what they describe as Google's role in enabling it. It cites the recent deaths of Keith Porter, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, arguing that Google's tools contribute to surveillance and repression. “Google is powering this campaign of surveillance, violence, and repression,” the letter states, reports The Economic Times.
Employees allege Google Cloud supports CBP surveillance systems and that the company helps power Palantir's ImmigrationOS platform, used by ICE. They also claim CBP is using Google's generative AI tools and accuse the Google Play Store of blocking apps meant to track ICE activity.
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The letter references a recent post by Google Chief Scientist Jeff Dean, who urged people to “speak up and not be silent” about recent events, comments employees say stand at odds with the company's actions. “We are vehemently opposed to Google's partnerships with DHS, CBP, and ICE,” the signatories write, calling for full transparency and divestment from immigration‑related contracts.
Speaking to the BBC, a seven‑year employee identified as Alex said it was “mind‑boggling” that Google maintains such partnerships. Another employee, “S,” said she would never have joined the company had she known about its government ties.
The protest comes amid broader unrest across the tech industry, following a similar letter signed by employees at Amazon, Microsoft and Meta. Google workers are also requesting internal protections, immigration support for staff, and a company‑wide meeting to address concerns.
Google has previously faced pushback over military work, notably cancelling Project Maven in 2018. The company continues to hold multiple federal contracts, including partnerships involving its Gemini AI models and collaborations with Palantir and defense contractors.
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