Sign the petition to IBM's CEO: Don’t Help Trump Deport Immigrants
IBM CEO Ginni Rometty
When Donald Trump promised to put refugees through a higher degree of “extreme vetting” as part of his Muslim Ban, it wasn’t just a figure of speech.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are planning to create actual tools that will make it easier to discriminate against and deport immigrants -- and they’re recruiting tech companies to help them.
ICE recently hosted an event for dozens of companies interested in building software that will automatically screen immigrants -- including through aggressive social media monitoring. IBM, one of the country’s leading tech companies, was in attendance.
ICE wants this extreme vetting system to predict if an immigrant will become a “positive member of society,” “contribute to the national interest” or intend to “commit a criminal or terrorist act.” Some of the nation’s top data scientists agree that it’s impossible to create software to fairly evaluate anyone based on these broad standards.
IBM prides itself on its image as a global company that supports immigrants. But IBM’s actions haven’t always followed their stated values. They ignored pressure to resign from Trump’s Advisory Council following the Muslim Ban, and following the deadly neo-Nazi attack in Charlottesville, VA.
IBM needs to stop the lip service and stand up to Trump and his administration’s plans to discriminate against our communities. That means not helping agencies like ICE build racist tools that marginalize immigrants.
We won’t let IBM get away with creating a racist tool. Sign the petition to tell IBM's CEO: Don't help Trump deport immigrants!
Partner organizations:
Center for Media Justice
Color Of Change
Daily Kos
Good Jobs Nation
Sponsored by
To:
IBM CEO Ginni Rometty
From:
[Your Name]
Dear IBM CEO Ginni Rometty,
As the leader of one of the nation’s most prominent technology companies, your words and actions carry significant weight.
You’ve previously stated that IBM would not be the company it is today “without the benefit of immigration.” That is why we are urging you to commit to not build any technology the Trump Administration intends to use as part of its extreme vetting initiative.
This past summer, representatives from IBM attended an info session held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on a software system that will automate vetting of immigrants. Although simply attending does not mean that IBM will build this extreme vetting tool, IBM’s status as a global company means your commitment to not building this tool will go a long way toward influencing other companies to follow your lead.
We ask that you back up your verbal support of immigrants by publicly rejecting and denouncing the Extreme Vetting Initiative and pledge to not bid on any contract to build the tool.