PARIS — As calls mount for an investigation of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency's participation in implementing the Trump administration's immigration crackdown, France's finance minister is pressing the French computer giant Capgemini to be completely transparent regarding a contract with the agency.
In December, the company, which has over 340,000 employees across 50 countries, inked a deal with ICE through its subsidiary Capgemini Government Solutions (CGS).
Late Tuesday, Finance Minister Roland Lescure addressed French parliamentarians, saying, "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's remarks followed Capgemini CEO Aiman Ezzat's statement that he was just informed of the contract that CGS had been granted.
In a LinkedIn article, Ezzat stated, "The nature and scope of this work has raised questions compared to what we typically do as a business and technology firm." "I have been informed that the independent board of directors has already started the process of reviewing the content and scope of this contract and CGS contracting procedures, in full respect of the separate governance and restrictions of CGS."
According to Ezzat, CGS has an arrangement with the U.S. federal government that permits it to conduct secret work that necessitates operating independently of the Capgemini Group.
As mandated by U.S. regulations, he said, "this creates many restrictions, notably that 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."
According to Lescure, the claim that the subsidiary has a distinct governance structure and that Capgemini is therefore unaware of the signed contract did not persuade him.
He stated, "I informed them that this explanation was insufficient." And that Capgemini has promised to do just that. "And that the very least... one can expect is that a company which owns subsidiaries should know what is going on within those companies."
Two U.S. citizens were fatally shot by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis as a result of Trump's escalating immigration enforcement in recent weeks.
