Google Workers Demand Transparency and Divestment from DHS Contracts
In a significant internal protest, approximately 1,000 Google employees have united to sign an open letter demanding that the technology giant immediately terminate its contracts with the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The petition specifically targets Google's collaborations with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), accusing the company of enabling what the employees describe as "state violence and repression."
Allegations of Technology Fueling Government Agencies
The employees, affiliated with the group No Tech for Apartheid, express profound dismay at Google's involvement with DHS agencies. They allege that Google's technology is actively powering a campaign of surveillance and violence. According to the letter, Google Cloud is instrumental in integrating CBP surveillance systems across the nation, while also supporting Palantir's ImmigrationOS, which ICE uses to monitor immigrants. Furthermore, the petition claims that Google's generative AI is being utilized by DHS and CBP for "workforce enablement" and enhancing "operational efficiency."
The employees highlight several disturbing incidents, including the alleged murders of Keith Porter, Renee Good, and Alex Pretti by DHS agencies in the past month. They also note that ICE's detention and deportation operations have resulted in at least 35 deaths in detention centers since July 2025. The letter states, "We are Google workers appalled by the violence inflicted by United States Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs & Border Protection (CBP). In cities across the country we have witnessed these agencies conducting paramilitary-style raids, kidnapping hundreds of civilians, and murdering protestors and legal observers."
Four Key Demands from Google Leadership
The open letter outlines four critical demands directed at Google's executives, emphasizing the need for accountability and ethical responsibility:
- Acknowledge the Danger: Google leadership must publicly recognize the humanitarian crises created by ICE and CBP in targeted cities, which the employees compare to COVID-era conditions. They call for proportional community responses and urge Google to advocate for urgent government action.
- Host an Emergency Q&A Session: Employees demand a live, recorded town hall meeting with relevant leadership to address questions about Google's DHS, CBP, and military contracts. They insist on no AI summarization or question-collapsing, citing previous vague and inconsistent responses from management.
- Protect All Googlers: The petition calls for enhanced worker safety measures, including flexible work-from-home policies and legal and immigration support, especially for temporary vendors, onsite staff, and data center employees. This demand follows reports of ICE agents visiting Google buildings.
- Disclose Ties and Set Red Lines: Employees seek full transparency regarding Google's contracts with DHS agencies and clear guidelines on permissible uses of Cloud and AI technology to prevent abuse for state violence and repression.
Broader Ethical Concerns and Call to Action
The letter references a tweet from Google Chief Scientist Jeff Dean, who emphasized collective responsibility to speak up against injustice. The employees echo this sentiment, stating, "We are speaking up today as Googlers." They argue that Google has become a key player in a "shameful lineage of private companies profiting from violent state repression" and must cease its complicity.
The petition concludes with a rallying cry for more employees to sign, aiming to pressure leadership into a company-wide response. It asserts, "Through its ICE operations, DHS is violating civil and national law as well as civil and human rights. We must end our complicity in powering them." This movement underscores growing concerns within the tech industry about the ethical implications of government contracts and the role of technology in societal issues.
