Google executives are under mounting pressure from staff over the company’s links to the US government’s immigration enforcement efforts, as raids and removals have escalated and turned deadly.
An open letter published on Friday and signed by nearly 900 full-time Google employees demanded greater transparency over how the company’s technology is used by federal agencies. Google provides cloud services to parts of the US government and has connections to work supporting immigration enforcement.
In a call after the letter appeared, a Google employee of seven years said it was “mind-boggling” that the company continued these relationships. For some staff, the issue cuts close to home, mirroring the kind of ethical dilemma many professionals face when their employer’s strategy clashes with their own values.
The letter followed another published two weeks earlier and signed by hundreds of workers across the tech sector, including staff at Amazon, Microsoft and Meta. That appeal urged companies to halt work supporting the federal immigration crackdown.
Over the past year, the Trump administration has intensified forced removals, deploying armed agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) into multiple cities. Operations linked to those efforts led to two high-profile killings of US citizens who were observing federal agents.
The Google employee leading the push internally identified himself as Alex and said he joined the company seven years ago.
“I was proud to be working at a company with a moral compass. I’m not proud anymore,” he said.
Employees pointed to precedent. In 2018, after internal protests, Google withdrew from Project Maven, a Pentagon contract focused on improving drone technology for military use. Alex said today’s situation feels more troubling.
He described it as “abhorrent” to come to work knowing his efforts support federal agents within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), ICE and CBP, or contribute to the removal of apps authorities consider “threatening”.
In October, Google confirmed it had removed several apps from its store that allowed users to report and document sightings of ICE agents. Apple took similar action.
Another employee, who identified herself as “S”, said she joined Google three years ago and would have made a different choice had she known the full extent of its federal work.
“This is not the company I signed up to work for – I would have never interviewed to work for a military contractor,” she said.
Alex and S said they spoke out because they object to their work contributing to what they view as militarised actions against people. They accused Google leadership, including chief executive Sundar Pichai, of failing to clearly explain the company’s involvement with federal agencies. That silence, they said, prompted the open letter.
Employees laid out specific demands:
– Withdraw Google technology from work involving DHS, ICE and CBP
– Protect staff from immigration enforcement activities
– Hold an all-hands meeting to address concerns directly
The controversy extends beyond immigration. Last year, Google partnered with Lockheed Martin to deploy Gemini AI models in unspecified products and services. It also maintains a partnership with Palantir, whose technology underpins operations for DHS, ICE, CBP and all six branches of the US military.
Alex, S and other signatories had their employment verified through registered Google work accounts. A Google spokesperson declined to comment.
The dispute raises a question that increasingly confronts the tech industry: when innovation becomes infrastructure for state power, where does corporate responsibility begin, and who inside the company gets a say?
Author: Pishon Yip