France's IT giant Capgemini is facing intense backlash over its role in tracking migrants for the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency. The contract, worth over $365 million, allows contractors to use government data and commercial databases to locate and track individuals with unknown whereabouts.
The company's US subsidiary, Capgemini Government Solutions, has been working closely with ICE since 2007, providing services including operational planning and detention capacity modeling. However, the latest revelation that contractors can earn significant bonuses for meeting targets has raised concerns about the use of private "bounty hunters" to track migrants.
According to a recent audit by the DHS Office of Inspector General, Capgemini Government Solutions failed to meet requirements for staff skills, education, and experience, and overpaid $769,869 in labor costs. The company's reliance on its services is so deep-seated that former ICE officials have warned that terminating the contract would be "paralyzing" for the agency.
Unions and politicians are now calling for greater transparency from Capgemini, with French Finance Minister Roland Lescure urging the company to shed light on its activities. The relationship between Capgemini and ICE has been criticized as a "revolving door" process, where employees move between the two entities, ensuring continuity and institutional knowledge.
Capgemini's CEO Aiman Ezzat recently acknowledged that senior management was only made aware of the contract through public sources, but claimed it was not currently being executed. However, the company is scheduled to hold an emergency board meeting in Paris this weekend as scrutiny intensifies.
The contract has sparked concerns about the use of private companies in law enforcement and the potential for human rights abuses. As one former senior ICE official noted, "If you fire them, ICE would be paralysed." The case highlights the complex and often opaque relationships between European firms and US security agencies, raising questions about accountability and transparency.
The company's US subsidiary, Capgemini Government Solutions, has been working closely with ICE since 2007, providing services including operational planning and detention capacity modeling. However, the latest revelation that contractors can earn significant bonuses for meeting targets has raised concerns about the use of private "bounty hunters" to track migrants.
According to a recent audit by the DHS Office of Inspector General, Capgemini Government Solutions failed to meet requirements for staff skills, education, and experience, and overpaid $769,869 in labor costs. The company's reliance on its services is so deep-seated that former ICE officials have warned that terminating the contract would be "paralyzing" for the agency.
Unions and politicians are now calling for greater transparency from Capgemini, with French Finance Minister Roland Lescure urging the company to shed light on its activities. The relationship between Capgemini and ICE has been criticized as a "revolving door" process, where employees move between the two entities, ensuring continuity and institutional knowledge.
Capgemini's CEO Aiman Ezzat recently acknowledged that senior management was only made aware of the contract through public sources, but claimed it was not currently being executed. However, the company is scheduled to hold an emergency board meeting in Paris this weekend as scrutiny intensifies.
The contract has sparked concerns about the use of private companies in law enforcement and the potential for human rights abuses. As one former senior ICE official noted, "If you fire them, ICE would be paralysed." The case highlights the complex and often opaque relationships between European firms and US security agencies, raising questions about accountability and transparency.
this whole thing just feels so wrong - a multibillion dollar contract to track migrants without clear oversight is a huge red flag 
. i mean, who gets paid bonuses for finding people? it's like something out of a bad movie 
. and the revolving door between capgemini and ice is just shady 
. we need more transparency on these kinds of deals, especially when human rights are at stake 
.
Like how can a company that's supposed to be doing good work for the public be getting paid $365 million to track down people? 
And what's even worse is that they're using private "bounty hunters" to do it... it's like something out of a bad action movie 
But hey, who needs transparency when you've got deep pockets 
?
And what really gets my goat is that they're trying to downplay it by saying the contract isn't being executed 
Like, come on guys, we all know that's not true.
We need to make sure that companies like Capgemini are held to a higher standard when it comes to their dealings with government agencies 
. And now they're talkin' about private "bounty hunters" bein' used? Like, what even is that?! 
. But at the same time, I feel bad for these migrants who are just tryin' to navigate this crazy system 
.
. And the question of accountability? Like, who's supposed to answer for this stuff? 
. I mean, who gives a contract to a private company to track down people? It's like something out of a dystopian movie 
, but shouldn't companies care about human rights and all that? It's like they're more interested in making money than doing what's right 
like how's it different from any other contract?
and now it seems like ice can't even function without them 
... like what's the difference really? Is it even possible to have a hot pizza that's still cold? 
. And those bonuses for "bounty hunters"? Yikes! 
. And don't even get me started on the revolving door between Capgemini and ICE - it's like they're playing some kinda game of "Who's got the most connections?" 
. The politicians are all like "Let's just keep quiet and hope it goes away", but I'm not buying it 
like how can one company just be so involved in law enforcement and not even know about it themselves? 
anyway i'm really worried about this 'revolving door' thing and how it's creating a system where ppl can easily move between companies and governments without any accountability 
.
And to make matters worse, there's this revolving door thing where employees move between Capgemini and ICE - it's like a sick game of musical chairs! 
Can't we expect more transparency from these companies? 
.
... i don't know, man... as long as we're not talking about human rights abuses, i'm good 
... but transparency is key here, folks 