Several hundred employees at Deloitte have signed a petition calling on the New York-based accounting firm to cease providing data and records support services to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection in protest of the administration’s “zero-tolerance” policy that has separated migrant children from their parents.
The employees told chief executive Cathy Engelbert that the company “must take a stand against the mistreatment of human beings” and “must questions how its services and offerings to these agencies contribute to ongoing injustice.”
According to the New York Times, Deloitte appeared to hold firm against the petition, with director of the company’s government practice Daniel Helfrich telling employees in an email Thursday that the contractor’s work with ICE and CBP does not “directly or indirectly support the the separation of families,” which “would be inconsistent with our values.”
“Remember that these high-visibility situations create stress for our clients too,” Helfrich added, calling for “empathy.”
Engelbert sent an email lauding employees for “fostering courageous conversations.”
Earlier this week, McKinsey & Company ended its “management consulting services” contract for ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations division after protests from employees.
Managing partner Kevin Sneader wrote that the company’s support “has never been focused on developing, advising or implementing immigration policies, including the child-separation policy.”
Sneader said the company “will not, under any circumstances, engage in any work, anywhere in the world, that advances or assists policies that are at odds with our values.”
