Google Employees Demand Transparency and End to Work Supporting Immigration Enforcement

Nearly 900 Google employees have signed an open letter urging the company to provide more transparency regarding its work with U.S. federal immigration enforcement agencies. Staff are concerned that Google’s technology and cloud services are being used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) in operations that have recently resulted in violent and deadly outcomes. Employees, including those identified as Alex and S, expressed moral objections to supporting such work and noted that the company’s leadership, including CEO Sundar Pichai, has not adequately addressed these concerns internally. The letter calls for Google to withdraw its technology from DHS, ICE, and CBP operations, provide protections for employees, and hold an all-hands meeting to discuss these issues. The open letter follows a broader industry effort by employees from companies like Amazon, Microsoft, and Meta demanding tech companies stop supporting federal immigration crackdowns. Google has previously faced internal pushback, including the cancellation of Project Maven in 2018, which involved military drone technology. Additionally, Google maintains partnerships with Lockheed Martin and Palantir, linking its technology to federal and military operations. Employees stress that they want their work to align with ethical standards and to avoid contributing to militarized enforcement actions.