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Nearly 1,000 Google employees have signed a petition urging the company to sever its alleged ties with the US Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

The letter, titled “Googlers Demand: Worker Safety & ICE Contract Transparency,” calls on Google’s leadership to disclose all contracts with DHS agencies and divest from partnerships that employees say contribute to surveillance and state violence.

What Google employees allege in the petition

In the petition, employees claim that Google’s technology is being used to “fuel violence and repression,” including actions linked to recent deaths such as those of Keith Porter, Renee Good and Alex Pretti.

“Google is powering this campaign of surveillance, violence, and repression,” the letter states. It alleges that Google Cloud services help integrate CBP surveillance systems along the US border and nationwide, while also supporting Palantir’s ImmigrationOS platform, which ICE reportedly uses to track immigrants.

Claims about Google AI and DHS usage

The petition further alleges that Google’s generative AI tools are being used by DHS and CBP for “workforce enablement” and to “improve operational efficiency.”

Employees also criticised other Google platforms, claiming that the Play Store has blocked ICE-tracking apps designed to help communities stay informed, while YouTube has run ICE recruitment and so-called “self-deport” advertisements.

As of now, Google has not issued a public statement responding to the petition or the allegations raised by employees.

What the petition demands from Google leadership

The letter outlines several specific demands aimed at transparency, worker safety and ethical oversight.

Employees are demanding full transparency around all existing contracts and collaborations with DHS, CBP and ICE, along with clear “red lines” on how Google’s Cloud and AI technologies can be used.

“We are vehemently opposed to Google’s partnerships with DHS, CBP, and ICE,” the letter states, calling divestment an ethical responsibility.

The petition calls on Google leadership to acknowledge the dangers faced by US-based workers and to publicly advocate for urgent government responses. Employees are also seeking proportional community responses such as school shutdowns and mutual aid networks during periods of heightened risk.

Employees are demanding a live, US-based and recorded Q&A session or town hall with senior leadership to address concerns over DHS, CBP and military contracts. They specifically requested that the session not rely on AI-generated summaries or question filtering.

The letter calls for expanded safety protections for all employees, including cafeteria workers and data center staff. Proposed measures include flexible work-from-home policies, legal assistance and immigration support.

Employees say ethical concerns are driving the protest

“As the workers who provide the foundational labor in building this technology, we are horrified,” the petition reads, underscoring the growing internal resistance within major tech companies over government contracts tied to law enforcement and surveillance.

The organisers said they are continuing to seek more signatures and plan to formally submit the letter to Google’s leadership in an effort to prompt broader internal discussion and action.