Over 1,000 Google employees sign petition to cut ties with ICE and border agencies

Over 1,000 Google employees have signed an internal petition urging the company to end its alleged relationships with US immigration enforcement agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The letter claims Google’s technology is contributing to surveillance practices and violence linked to federal immigration operations. It references the deaths of Keith Porter, Renee Good, and Alex Pretti, alleging that Google Cloud infrastructure supports CBP surveillance systems across the US and along the southern border, while also enabling Palantir’s ImmigrationOS platform, used by ICE to monitor immigrants.

Workers further alleged that Google’s generative AI tools have been deployed by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and CBP to enhance workforce productivity and streamline operations. The petition also criticises Google-owned platforms, saying that the Play Store has restricted access to apps designed to track ICE activity, while YouTube has allegedly carried advertisements promoting ICE recruitment and self-deportation messaging. Google has not publicly responded to the petition. “As the people building these systems, we are deeply disturbed by how this technology is being used,” the letter reads.

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What are the demands of the employees?

Titled “Googlers Demand: Worker Safety & ICE Contract Transparency,” the letter calls on employees to rally additional support before submitting it to company leadership. The signatories argue that Google has a moral and policy obligation to fully disclose all contracts and collaborations with DHS, ICE, and CBP, and to withdraw from partnerships they say enable state violence and repression.

Among their demands, employees are calling on leadership to recognize the risks and harm faced by workers across the US, and to advocate for urgent public responses, including community-based measures such as school closures and mutual aid efforts during periods of unrest. They are also requesting an emergency, US-based town hall or live Q&A session with executives overseeing government contracts. The session, they specify, should be recorded and conducted without AI-generated summaries or consolidated questions.

Additionally, workers are seeking expanded safety protections for all Google employees, including contractors and support staff. These measures include flexible remote work options and access to legal and immigration assistance.

Finally, the petition demands clear boundaries on how Google’s AI and cloud products can be used by government agencies, along with full transparency into how DHS entities may be misusing these tools.