French lawmakers have demanded an explanation after one of the country’s biggest tech companies, Capgemini, signed a multimillion-dollar contract to help the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) trace and expel migrants. The revelation that a subsidiary of Capgemini, Capgemini Group Solutions (CGS), had agreed to provide “skip tracing” services with bonuses of up to $365 million has provoked outrage in France.
Ministers and MPs are calling for more transparency over contracts that could breach human rights. The economy minister, Roland Lescure, told the National Assembly he had urged Capgemini to “shed light in a highly transparent manner on its activities … and surely question the nature of these activities”. France’s armed forces minister, Catherine Vautrin, said: “The contracts of French groups deserve close scrutiny,” adding: “Respect for human rights is an issue.”
Capgemini admitted that CGS had signed a $4.8 million deal with ICE’s Detention Compliance and Removals office in December, but said it had not yet come into effect. The contract involves “investigation and personal background check services” and “skip tracing services for enforcement and removal operations”. Research shows Capgemini has 13 current contracts with ICE, including managing a hotline for victims of crimes committed by foreigners.
Hadrien Clouet, an MP with the leftwing party La France Insoumise, said: “It’s time for France to accept its responsibilities. French private companies are collaborating with ICE. We do not accept this.” The CGT union at Capgemini has called for an immediate halt of all collaboration with ICE, stating that the partnerships make the group “an active accomplice in serious human rights violations”.
In an email to employees, Capgemini executive Mathieu Dougados accepted that the ICE contract raised “legitimate questions” but said the company was unable to obtain details of CGS’s technical operations “in accordance with US regulations”. He added: “At this stage, the contract is not being executed because it is the subject of an appeal.” Lescure said Capgemini’s explanations were “not good enough”.
