Salesforce employees call on CEO Benioff to cancel ICE 'opportunities'

A significant movement is brewing within Salesforce, as over 1,400 employees have united to urge CEO Marc Benioff to withdraw any potential business dealings with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). According to sources familiar with the matter, the employees have expressed deep concerns regarding reports of Salesforce's proposals involving AI technology aimed at assisting ICE in swiftly hiring 10,000 new agents. The employees' letter calls for an immediate halt to all active proposals linked to ICE enforcement and recruitment. It further demands a public statement from Benioff advocating for the removal of masked ICE agents from American cities. This letter is part of a broader trend among tech workers who are increasingly vocal about their companies' associations with ICE, especially in light of recent tragedies involving ICE agents. On a related note, Benioff faced backlash after making light-hearted comments about ICE's presence at a company event in Las Vegas. This prompted employees to voice their discontent in internal communications platforms. The signatories of the letter are requesting transparency from Salesforce regarding the services it provides to ICE and are advocating for a pause on any infrastructure or AI systems that could facilitate ICE's operational expansion. A supplementary document accompanying the letter pointed to a report from The New York Times, which indicated that Salesforce had marketed its software as perfectly suited for ICE agent recruitment. This comes at a challenging time for the company, as investors are increasingly wary about the potential negative impact of AI on the growth prospects of software firms, with Salesforce's stock declining by approximately 27% in 2026. The conversation surrounding Salesforce's relationship with ICE parallels similar appeals made by Google employees, who recently called for their company to sever ties with ICE and Customs and Border Protection. High-profile business leaders, including Apple’s Tim Cook, have also criticized ICE's actions in recent confrontations with demonstrators. The letter underscores the personal and professional risks employees face as Salesforce is perceived as enabling ICE's operations, including potential reputational harm and social targeting. It emphasizes the need for clarity regarding the nature of Salesforce's dealings with ICE to empower employees to make informed decisions about their work. Organizers plan to present the letter to Benioff by the end of the week. Despite past statements from Benioff regarding his stance on military presence in San Francisco, employees are urging him to leverage his influence to protect the constitutional rights of individuals and the safety of the community, as highlighted in the letter's closing remarks.