French technology and consulting giant Capgemini announced Sunday that it will “immediately” divest its U.S. subsidiary involved in work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, following mounting criticism from French government officials and lawmakers over a controversial surveillance contract.
In a statement, the Paris-based company said it decided to sell the U.S. unit because it could not “exercise appropriate control” to ensure the subsidiary’s activities aligned with Capgemini’s broader corporate objectives.
The controversy centers on Capgemini Government Solutions, the company’s U.S. arm, which was selected to play a leading role in a new ICE initiative designed to locate and monitor roughly 1.5 million undocumented immigrants. The program relies on paid contractors using remote technology alongside on-the-ground surveillance, with financial incentives tied to how quickly individuals are found. CGS had secured the largest contract among 14 participating firms, with a potential value of up to $365 million over two years.
French Finance Minister Roland Lescure told lawmakers last week that he had urged Capgemini to fully explain the agreement and to closely scrutinize its nature. Two days later, Capgemini said the contract was not currently being carried out.
Public criticism of ICE partnerships has been uncommon among companies working with the agency, even as deportation efforts have accelerated. However, following the recent killings of American protesters in Minneapolis, several international firms have begun reassessing their U.S. government ties.
One of them, Canada-based real estate firm The Jim Pattison Group, said Friday that it would not proceed with the sale of an industrial property in Ashland, Virginia, to ICE. The decision came after backlash from Canadian politicians, including calls from the British Columbia Green Party to boycott the company.
British Columbia Attorney General Niki Sharma said at a Tuesday news conference that officials were “watching in horror” as events unfolded in Minneapolis, according to Global News, and urged Canadian business leaders to reflect on their role in the situation.
Protests have also targeted other Canadian firms with ICE contracts. On Friday, hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside the Vancouver headquarters of social media management company Hootsuite, which provides services to ICE’s public affairs office. Democracy Rising, the group behind the protest, said in a Threads post that Canadians would not tolerate “far-right authoritarianism or anyone who supports it.”
Earlier last week, Hootsuite CEO Irina Novoselsky released a public letter condemning ICE’s recent actions as “wrong” and describing the loss of life as “devastating,” while defending the company’s decision to maintain the contract. She said Hootsuite supplies social media support services and does not provide tracking or surveillance tools.
“We work with a wide range of organizations because listening to real conversations leads to insights that drive better decisions and accountability, without endorsing specific actions or policies,” Novoselsky wrote.
ICE, Capgemini, and The Jim Pattison Group did not immediately respond Monday to requests for comment. Hootsuite said in a statement that it “respects everyone’s right to express their views peacefully and safely.”
Capgemini CEO Aiman Ezzat said in a Jan. 25 LinkedIn post that independent directors at Capgemini Government Solutions were reviewing the skip-tracing contract. He added that the French parent company had only recently become aware of certain aspects of the ICE program due to internal firewalls designed to protect classified U.S. government work.
“The nature and scope of this work has raised questions compared to what we typically do as a business and technology firm,” Ezzat wrote.
