French Tech Firm Capgemini Set to Sell US Unit Tied to Immigration Agency
In a move aimed at alleviating pressure, French IT giant Capgemini announced on Sunday that it plans to sell its US subsidiary Capgemini Government Solutions (CGS), which has been linked to a contract with the US Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The decision comes amid growing concerns over ICE's tactics following the fatal shooting of two US citizens in Minnesota last month. French lawmakers, including Finance Minister Roland Lescure, had pressed Capgemini to shed light on its contract with ICE, sparking controversy.
According to Capgemini, it has considered divesting its US unit due to "legal constraints" imposed by the US government on contracting with federal entities involved in classified activities. The company stated that it could not exercise control over certain aspects of CGS's operations to ensure alignment with its objectives.
Capgemini CEO Aiman Ezzat confirmed that his company only recently became aware of the nature of a contract with ICE, but emphasized that it had no access to classified information or technical details regarding the contract. The company has assured that it will review the content and scope of this contract as well as CGS' contracting procedures.
While the reasons for divesting its US unit are not explicitly stated, Capgemini's move is seen as an effort to mitigate concerns and criticism from French lawmakers. The sale is expected to be completed in a timely manner, although no specific timeline was provided by the company.
In a move aimed at alleviating pressure, French IT giant Capgemini announced on Sunday that it plans to sell its US subsidiary Capgemini Government Solutions (CGS), which has been linked to a contract with the US Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The decision comes amid growing concerns over ICE's tactics following the fatal shooting of two US citizens in Minnesota last month. French lawmakers, including Finance Minister Roland Lescure, had pressed Capgemini to shed light on its contract with ICE, sparking controversy.
According to Capgemini, it has considered divesting its US unit due to "legal constraints" imposed by the US government on contracting with federal entities involved in classified activities. The company stated that it could not exercise control over certain aspects of CGS's operations to ensure alignment with its objectives.
Capgemini CEO Aiman Ezzat confirmed that his company only recently became aware of the nature of a contract with ICE, but emphasized that it had no access to classified information or technical details regarding the contract. The company has assured that it will review the content and scope of this contract as well as CGS' contracting procedures.
While the reasons for divesting its US unit are not explicitly stated, Capgemini's move is seen as an effort to mitigate concerns and criticism from French lawmakers. The sale is expected to be completed in a timely manner, although no specific timeline was provided by the company.
Like, what's up with the US government being all secretive about their contracts? Capgemini's move is probably just a precautionary measure to avoid any bad PR 
. Did you see that graph showing the growth of tech firms like Capgemini in the US? It's crazy - 300% increase between 2015 and 2020 
. Anyway, back to this situation... I'd love to see some more data on ICE's contract with Capgemini. Like, what are the exact terms of this deal? Is it even legal? 
! I mean, can you imagine if there were more companies like this involved with ICE? It's already scary enough for parents worrying about our kids' safety, and now think of all the potential risks... 
At least this way, maybe we can get some answers on what's really going on behind closed doors. My husband is a US citizen, and as a parent, I just want to know that our government is looking out for us 
. It'll be interesting to see how this all plays out - fingers crossed it doesn't lead to more controversy 
It's a good move for Capgemini to distance themselves from all that drama.
. Whatever the reason, it's clear that this company is trying to play it safe and focus on its core business.
. That's gotta be frustrating for them. But I suppose it's good that they're being transparent about what happened and are looking into reviewing CGS' contracting procedures.
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? Sounds like a fancy way of saying they got caught doing something shady and don't wanna deal with it anymore 
. I mean, who wouldn't want to distance themselves from the whole ICE debacle? It's not like they were actively working with them or anything... but still, gotta love how they're just passing the buck now 
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. But now I wonder if the US government was being too harsh on them, you know? Maybe they're just trying to protect their company's interests 
. Selling off their US unit might seem like a good idea for Capgemini to avoid controversy, but what if it's just a way to distance themselves from the bad stuff? I mean, what if they're giving up on trying to make things right?