French Government Calls for Transparency from Capgemini
France’s finance minister, Roland Lescure, has called on the multinational tech firm Capgemini to provide full transparency regarding a recent contract signed with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The plea comes amid growing scrutiny of ICE’s role in enforcing the Trump administration’s hardline immigration policies.
Capgemini, a Paris-based company employing over 340,000 people across more than 50 countries, entered into a contract with ICE in December 2025 through its American subsidiary, Capgemini Government Solutions (CGS).
“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 stated while addressing French lawmakers late Tuesday.
CEO Responds to Growing Concerns
Capgemini CEO Aiman Ezzat responded to the controversy by acknowledging that he had only recently become aware of the ICE contract awarded to the U.S. subsidiary. In a LinkedIn post, Ezzat admitted that the nature and scope of the agreement stood out from the company’s usual line of business.
“The nature and scope of this work has raised questions compared to what we typically do as a business and technology firm,” Ezzat wrote.
He further explained that CGS operates under a distinct governance model designed to allow it to conduct classified work for the U.S. federal government. This structure, according to Ezzat, includes a board of directors composed of “cleared” U.S. citizens and independent decision-making processes separate from the parent company.
Separate Governance Under Scrutiny
Ezzat emphasized the legal and operational distance between Capgemini and CGS, citing U.S. regulations that require firewalls between the parent company and its government-facing subsidiary. These regulations prohibit Capgemini from accessing any classified information or technical operations related to CGS’s work with ICE.
“This creates many restrictions,” Ezzat continued, “notably CGS has a board that is controlled by ‘cleared’ independent U.S. directors… and the Capgemini Group cannot access any classified information.”
Despite these reassurances, Lescure expressed dissatisfaction with the explanation, arguing that Capgemini should still be aware of significant contracts undertaken by its subsidiaries.
“I told them that this explanation was not sufficient,” Lescure said. “One can expect 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.”
Public and Political Reaction
The contract has sparked significant public and political backlash in France, particularly in light of recent events in the United States. In Minneapolis, ICE officers were involved in fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens, adding urgency to the debate over the agency’s operations and the ethics of supporting them.
Activists and some lawmakers in France have questioned whether Capgemini, as a French corporation, should be participating in contracts that may support controversial immigration enforcement tactics abroad. The incident has also prompted calls for tighter oversight of French companies operating in sensitive political contexts internationally.
Corporate Responsibility in the Global Arena
The Capgemini-ICE contract highlights broader questions about corporate responsibility in the global tech industry. As technology firms expand their footprints across borders, they increasingly face ethical dilemmas involving human rights, governance, and the political implications of their services.
Capgemini has pledged to conduct a thorough internal review of the ICE contract through CGS’s independent board. However, critics argue that structural separations may not absolve parent companies from moral accountability, especially when public trust and reputation are at stake.
The French government’s intervention may signal a shift toward more active oversight of multinational corporations by home-state regulators, especially when foreign operations clash with national values or political sensitivities.
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