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NewsMother JonesMay 1, 2026United States

Amazon Workers Protest Company Contracts with ICE

Amazon employees and labor organizers held a May Day rally in New York to protest the company's cloud-computing contracts with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Workers expressed concerns regarding both internal workplace surveillance and the broader impact of Amazon's technology on government deportation operations.

labor unionsimmigration enforcementtechnology contractssurveillancecorporate accountability
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Why It Matters

Amazon provides services to ICE through contracts worth at least $25 million, a relationship that has become a focal point for labor organizing efforts among both warehouse staff and tech workers.

Key Facts

  • Amazon holds cloud-computing contracts with ICE worth at least $25 million.
  • Amazon Web Services (AWS) provides cloud services to Palantir, a company involved in ICE deportation operations.
  • Amazon workers at the DBK-1 warehouse in Queens unionized with the Teamsters five months prior to the May Day rally.
  • Amazon has not yet entered into collective bargaining agreements with its unionized workers.
  • Acting ICE director Todd Lyons has publicly stated an intent to model deportation operations after Amazon Prime's efficiency.
  • Amazon drivers are subject to app-based surveillance that tracks delivery stop orders and performance metrics.
  • Unionized Amazon workers in New York successfully negotiated pay for days missed during winter storms and the provision of new equipment.

Who's Mentioned

organizationTeamsters“Labor union representing Amazon workers.”organizationAmazon“E-commerce and cloud-computing company facing labor protests.”personZelda Montes“Former Google software engineer and organizer with No Tech for Apartheid.”personMatt Multari“Amazon delivery driver and union organizer at the DBK-1 warehouse in Queens.”organizationPalantir“Surveillance-tech company that holds contracts with Amazon Web Services.”personTodd Lyons“Acting ICE director who compared deportation operations to Amazon Prime.”dollar_amount$25 million“Minimum amount ICE spent on AWS during the second Trump administration.”organizationAWS“Amazon Web Services, the cloud-computing division providing services to governme”personSultana Hossain“Organizer with the Amazon Labor Union.”personJeff Bezos“CEO of Amazon.”organizationICE“Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a federal agency with cloud-computing contr”