Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, who has recently come under fire for asking President Donald Trump to send the National Guard to San Francisco, also pitched the administration on helping power its mass deportation campaign, according to new internal documents.
Screenshots of documents and communications obtained by the New York Times show how Benioff, once a progressive tech titan, offered to help Immigration and Customs Enforcement rapidly hire 10,000 new agents and enhance deportation operations using Salesforce AI tech.
Benioff’s remarks and offer stood in stark contrast to San Francisco’s liberal roots and his own reputation as a supporter of liberal causes. San Francisco leaders were already upset with him over suggesting Trump send the National Guard to the Northern California city, comments he later walked back with an apology. Their dose of frustration grew Thursday after learning the San Francisco-based company was offering to aid Trump’s immigration crackdown.
An Aug. 26 five-page memo broke down how the company is best suited to help the federal agency with “talent acquisition” in its goal of “nearly tripling its workforce by hiring 10,000 new officers and agents expeditiously.”
Other Salesforce documents obtained by the New York Times included a spreadsheet listing ICE “opportunities” — the company’s term for possible contracts — and an internal presentation outlining how artificial intelligence could help the agency analyze tip-line information and strengthen investigations.
Salesforce noted it had previously worked with the administrations of Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama. The U.S. government is Salesforce’s biggest customer and has federal contracts worth billions of dollars.
The company also said it isn’t the only tech giant helping ICE with its immigration mission. Microsoft, IBM, and Denver-based Palantir, a software company co-founded by billionaire Peter Thiel, all have contracts with the agency.
San Francisco Board of Supervisors member Danny Sauter said Benioff’s pitch to help ICE crack down on immigration in the city is further proof of Benioff “straying farther and farther from San Francisco values.”
San Francisco, a sanctuary city, is dedicated to protecting illegal immigrants who have not committed crimes, Sauter said.
Benioff’s remarks have drawn backlash beyond City Hall, including from those closest to his company.
On Thursday, venture capitalist Ron Conway, known as the “godfather of Silicon Valley,” resigned from the board of Salesforce’s philanthropic arm, where he had been a member for a decade, citing Benioff’s comments about San Francisco.
“It saddens me immensely to say that with your recent comments, and failure to understand their impact, I now barely recognize the person I have so long admired,” Conway, a Democrat mega donor, wrote in an email to Benioff.
Conway told Benioff, who has lived in Hawaii since the pandemic began, that San Francisco — “where you don’t even live or vote” — has worked hard under new leadership to bring down crime and increase the number of law enforcement officials in its ranks.
SALESFORCE CEO WHO BACKED NATIONAL GUARD DEPLOYMENT PREVIOUSLY FUNDED PROTEST-INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX
Earlier this week, San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie, a Democrat, said crime is down in the city by 30% compared to 2024. The number of homicides is on track to be the lowest in 70 years, and the number of police officers patrolling the streets has increased for the first time since the pandemic.
