French Finance Minister Roland Lescure has expressed strong concerns about a contract signed by French information technology firm Capgemini with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency. Lescure urged the company to provide complete and clear transparency regarding the nature of its engagement with ICE. This statement comes amid growing attention to ICE’s role in enforcing immigration policies initiated during the Trump administration.
Capgemini, a multinational technology services corporation with over 340,000 employees spanning more than 50 countries, reportedly finalized this agreement in December through its subsidiary Capgemini Government Solutions (CGS).
Addressing French parliamentarians on Tuesday evening, Lescure emphasized the necessity for Capgemini to elucidate its operational involvement clearly, highlighting the importance of questioning the activities connected to this contract.
In a recent LinkedIn post, Capgemini CEO Aiman Ezzat acknowledged that he was only made aware recently of the contract awarded to CGS. Ezzat noted that the assignment's scope prompted questions given Capgemini's usual business profile as a technology firm. He conveyed that, respecting CGS's independent governance, an internal board has commenced reviewing the contract’s specifics and the subsidiary’s contracting processes.
Ezzat explained that CGS collaborates with the U.S. federal government under an arrangement permitting management of classified projects, which necessitates operational segregation from the broader Capgemini Group. According to Ezzat, this setup entails strict constraints, including an independent board of directors comprising "cleared" U.S. officials who oversee decision-making. Further safeguards include network firewalls and prohibitions preventing the Capgemini Group from accessing classified materials or contracts linked to CGS activities, in compliance with U.S. regulations.
Despite these clarifications, Finance Minister Lescure expressed doubt regarding the claim that Capgemini was unaware of the contract due to its subsidiary’s separate governance. Lescure stated explicitly to representatives of the company that such an explanation was insufficient. He underscored the reasonable expectation that a parent corporation should maintain thorough awareness of the undertakings its subsidiaries engage in and indicated that Capgemini has pledged to uphold this standard of oversight.
Meanwhile, broader concerns have been amplified by recent developments in Minneapolis, where heightened enforcement activities by ICE have resulted in fatal incidents involving U.S. citizens. These events have intensified scrutiny of the agency’s enforcement methods and the contractors that facilitate its operations.