French lawmakers are demanding answers after Capgemini’s US branch signed a $4.8 million contract with the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency. The deal involves “skip tracing” – finding and locating migrants for enforcement and removal. It also has extra bonuses that could reach $365 million for successful operations. This news has caused outrage in France. Capgemini confirmed that its US subsidiary, Capgemini Group Solutions (CGS), signed the contract in December but said it has not started yet. The contract relates to services for ICE’s Detention Compliance and Removals office. Ministers and members of parliament want more transparency. Catherine Vautrin, France’s armed forces minister, said, “The contracts of French groups deserve close scrutiny,” adding, “Respect for human rights is an issue.” Hadrien Clouet, an MP from the left-wing party La France Insoumise, said, “It’s time for France to accept its responsibilities. French private companies are collaborating with ICE. We do not accept this.” Economy minister Roland Lescure told the National Assembly he had pressed Capgemini to be fully open about the contract. He said the company’s explanations were “not good enough” and urged them to re-examine their work. Capgemini, founded in 1967, employs 350,000 people worldwide. Research shows it has 13 contracts with ICE, including running a hotline for victims of crimes committed by foreigners. A page on Capgemini’s website, since removed, showed they worked closely with ICE to speed up deportations and cut costs. The corporate watchdog Observatoire des Multinationales published a screenshot where Capgemini boasted about helping ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations become more efficient. It read, “the team from Capgemini is working closely with ERO to help it minimize the time required and the cost incurred to remove all removable illegal aliens from the US.” The CGT union at Capgemini demanded an immediate stop to all work with ICE. A union spokesperson said, “These partnerships are not only contrary to the values espoused by Capgemini but they make our group an active accomplice in serious human rights violations.” Capgemini’s executive Mathieu Dougados emailed staff, saying the contract raises “legitimate questions.” He explained the Paris office just recently learned details of the deal and cannot access technical information due to US laws. He added, “At this stage, the contract is not being executed because it is the subject of an appeal.”