Not-for-profit, in spotlight amid family separations crisis, says it won’t take funds from firm that supports ‘inhumane policies’

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

A not-for-profit legal aid group for immigrants and refugees has rejected a $250,000 donation from Salesforce over the technology company’s contracts with Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

“When it comes to supporting oppressive, inhumane, and illegal policies, we want to be clear: the only right action is to stop,” wrote Jonathan Ryan, executive director of the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (Raices), in an email to Salesforce published on Twitter.

Raices, a Texas-based group that provides legal services to immigrant and refugee families, rose to national prominence during the family separations that took place under the Trump administration’s hardline “zero tolerance” immigration policy. A viral Facebook fundraiser raised more than $20m for the organization.

“Pledging us a small portion of the money you make from CPB [sic] contracts will not distract us from your continuing support of this agency,” Ryan continued. “We will not be a beneficiary of your effort to buy your way out of ethical responsibility.”

Salesforce is one of several tech companies facing pressure from employees and customers to cancel contracts with the government agencies responsible for US immigration policy and enforcement.



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More than 650 Salesforce employees recently signed a petition addressed to the company’s chief executive, Marc Benioff, asking him to “re-examine” contracts, announced in March, to help CBP “modernize its recruiting process, from hire to retire, and manage border activities and digital engagement with citizens”.

Benioff rejected the request, according to Bloomberg, but stated his opposition to the Trump administration’s family separation policy, and the company pledged to donate $1m to groups helping those affected by the policy.

A Salesforce spokesperson declined to comment on Raices’s rejection of its donation on Thursday, pointing instead to two tweets from Benioff “which reflect our current position”.

Marc Benioff (@Benioff) Salesforce has now donated $1M to organizations helping families separated at the U.S. border. I'm proud to work with 30K employees who make their voices heard and serve their communities. @SalesforceOrg will match employee donations to increase our impact.

Marc Benioff (@Benioff) Salesforce always will be true to our core values. We dont work with CBP regarding separation of families. CBP is a customer & follows our TOS. We dont have an agreement with ICE. I’m Proud of the Men & Women who protect & serve our country every day & I’m Proud of our Ohana.

The spokesperson did not immediately respond to questions about which organizations had received donations from Salesforce or whether the $250,000 donation to Raices would be offered to another group.

It appears unlikely that the pressure on Salesforce will dissipate. On Tuesday, a group of 22 Salesforce customers, including Greenpeace International and the New York State Nurses Association, published an open letter to Benioff calling on him to drop the CBP contract. And on 9 July, a few dozen tech workers and local activists picketed Salesforce’s San Francisco headquarters.

Ryan wrote that Raices would be willing to accept Salesforce’s donation if the company commited to ending its contract with CBP.