France’s finance minister demands tech firm Capgemini explain ICE contract

French Finance Minister Demands Transparency from Capgemini Over ICE Contract

France’s Finance Minister Roland Lescure has called on French tech giant Capgemini to provide full transparency regarding a contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), as scrutiny intensifies over the agency’s role in implementing immigration policies.

“I urge Capgemini to shed light, in an extremely transparent manner, on its activities, on this policy, and undoubtedly to question the nature of these activities,” Lescure told French lawmakers during a parliamentary session on Tuesday.

The contract, signed in December through Capgemini’s U.S. subsidiary Capgemini Government Solutions (CGS), has drawn attention amid heightened concerns about ICE’s enforcement actions. Capgemini is a major global player in technology and consulting services, employing more than 340,000 people across over 50 countries.

CEO Aiman Ezzat recently addressed the controversy, claiming he only recently learned about the contract. In a statement posted on LinkedIn, Ezzat said, “The nature and scope of this work has raised questions compared to what we typically do as a business and technology firm.”

Ezzat explained that CGS operates under a separate governance structure designed to handle classified U.S. government work, with an independent board of directors primarily composed of U.S. citizens with security clearances. According to Ezzat, this structure creates significant operational barriers between the parent company and its subsidiary.

“This creates many restrictions, notably CGS has a board that is controlled by ‘cleared’ independent U.S. directors, decision making is separate, networks are firewalled, and the Capgemini Group cannot access any classified information, classified contracts, or anything relating to the technical operations of CGS, as required by U.S. regulation,” Ezzat stated.

However, Minister Lescure expressed skepticism about this explanation, challenging the notion that Capgemini could be unaware of its subsidiary’s activities. “I told them that this explanation was not sufficient,” Lescure said. “And that the very least one can expect is that a company which owns subsidiaries should know what is going on within those companies, and that this is what Capgemini has committed to doing.”

In response to growing concerns, Ezzat has indicated that CGS’s independent board has initiated a review of the contract’s scope and content, as well as the subsidiary’s contracting procedures.

The controversy comes at a sensitive time, as ICE’s immigration enforcement activities have faced intensified scrutiny in the United States. Recent weeks have seen particularly troubling developments, including fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens by federal immigration officers during operations in Minneapolis.

The situation highlights the complex ethical considerations facing multinational corporations when their subsidiaries engage with government agencies implementing controversial policies. For European companies like Capgemini, such contracts can create tension between business interests and public perception, particularly when home governments express concerns.

The French government’s involvement demonstrates how corporate activities related to sensitive political issues can quickly become matters of public and governmental concern, even across national boundaries. As a prominent French company, Capgemini’s actions reflect on France’s business reputation and values globally.

Lescure’s public statements suggest the French government expects not only transparency but potentially a reconsideration of the contract itself based on ethical considerations. The outcome of CGS’s internal review and Capgemini’s response to governmental pressure will be closely watched by stakeholders on both sides of the Atlantic.