Under President Trump, many people are living under the threat of arrest and deportation from I.C.E., the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.
Thanks to the online reporters at Crust News, a tracker called icelist.is was created, which features a list called “boycott” that shows various companies that have assisted ICE, either with technology or airlines that collaborate with ICE to transport deported immigrants without requiring any personal information. This allows people who wish to avoid companies that have collaborated with the agency to choose alternatives.
Below are 5 companies that, through donations, contracts, statements, or cooperated with the raids, have shown their support for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) organization.
1. SPOTIFY
Spotify allowed paid ICE/DHS recruitment ads to run on its ad-supported platform. These ads encouraged people to apply for ICE jobs.[1]
- ALTERNATIVE: Apple Music, they don’t have any known ICE recruitment ads.
2. AVELO AIRLINES
Avelo confirmed it operates ICE deportation flights under government contracts. The company publicly defended the decision, stating it was a business opportunity, despite protests and public criticism.[2]
- ALTERNATIVE: JetBlue – Publicly committed to humane immigration policies in the past.
3. DOLLAR GENERAL
Reporting revealed Dollar General had “internal guidance” instructing store managers to allow ICE agents to speak with employees and not interfere with enforcement activities.[3]
- ALTERNATIVE: Local grocery stores.
4. FEDEX
Holds “federal shipping and logistics contracts” used by DHS agencies, including ICE. These contracts support day to day operational needs such as transport of documents and materials.[4]
- ALTERNATIVE: USPS – Local courier services.
5. AT&T
Provides telecommunications and network services through federal contracts connected to DHS programs.[5]
- ALTERNATIVE: T-Mobile – Has publicly supported immigrant and DACA employees.
While these may not be the only companies that support ICE, they are the ones for which there is backed evidence, such as confirmed advertisements and government contracts. There are rumors on social media about other companies supporting ICE, it’s important to look for evidence to back this up in order to be well-informed of which companies to boycott.
Sources
2: https://apnews.com/article/avelo-airline-deportation-ice-arizona-463bc3e5c65b002c0cca9976be066df6
5: https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT_AWD_70CTD021FR0000018_7012_GS00Q17NSD3000_4732?
