London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

House Caucus Heads Ask Why Google Hired A Former DHS Staffer Who Worked On Family Separation

House Caucus Heads Ask Why Google Hired A Former DHS Staffer Who Worked On Family Separation

“We find it alarming when companies choose to reward and hire individuals that have played active roles in implementing cruel policies that target and hurt the communities we represent and Google is no exception.”

The three leaders for House caucuses representing racial minority interests signed a letter on Wednesday asking Google why it hired a former Department of Homeland Security staffer who worked on a version of the Muslim travel ban and helped implement the controversial family separation policy.

Addressed to Google CEO Sundar Pichai, the letter -signed by Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair Joaquin Castro, Congressional Black Caucus Chair Karen Bass, and Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Chair Judy Chu -noted its members were “deeply troubled” by the hiring of Miles Taylor, a former DHS chief of staff who defended policies that Google’s leaders had previously denounced. He joined the company in September as a government affairs and public policy manager.

“As one of the world’s largest tech companies, it is crucial that Google take seriously its role in practicing its values of diversity, equity, and inclusion,” the letter read. “We find it alarming when companies choose to reward and hire individuals that have played active roles in implementing cruel policies that target and hurt the communities we represent and Google is no exception.”

The members' line of questioning echoes that coming from groups of Google employees, whose anger and confusion at Taylor’s September hiring has fueled internal rifts and a breakdown of trust between the company’s leaders and its rank and file. Last month, when employees attempted to ask questions about Taylor’s hiring following a BuzzFeed News report, Google censored some questions about the matter ahead of a companywide meeting known as TGIF. In the weeks since, Google has made it publicly known that it’s punishing alleged leakers and has cut down on the regularity and focus of its TGIF meetings, once a hallmark of the company’s open culture.

A Google spokesperson declined to comment on the letter or Taylor.

As a counselor to then–acting DHS secretary Elaine Duke in 2017, Taylor called the screening standards at US borders “no longer adequate to combat terrorism” as the agency recommended a “tough” and “tailored” policy to replace expiring parts of a Trump administration travel ban that barred visitors from six Muslim-majority countries. When that ban was first introduced in January 2017, Google cofounder Sergey Brin joined protesters at San Francisco International Airport and made public statements to voice his displeasure with the policy.


“Not only were many Americans appalled by these cruel immigration policies but even Google’s senior leadership and cofounders publicly denounced these policies,” the caucus leaders wrote in the letter, citing Brin’s actions.

Taylor went on to serve as the deputy chief of staff and then chief of staff to Kirstjen Nielsen, whom Trump appointed to the top DHS role in December 2017 and who oversaw the department’s controversial family separation policy at the southern border. In defending the company’s hiring of Taylor, Google executive Karan Bhatia told employees that Taylor was not involved in drafting the original Muslim travel ban and wasn't involved in family separation.

Following Bhatia’s comments, BuzzFeed News published internal DHS emails showing that Taylor had worked to shape talking points and narratives around family separation through the spring of 2018 as he served as Nielsen’s deputy chief of staff. Taylor left DHS around the time of Nielsen’s resignation this April.

“The idea that you could disassociate from a policy that consumed the entire department while you were deputy chief of staff is ridiculous,” one former DHS official told BuzzFeed News last month.

Recently, Google and Pichai have been trying to build bridges with the White House and President Trump, who had previously alleged the company’s products are biased against conservatives. In March, he met with Trump at the Oval Office; last month he hosted an event with Ivanka Trump focused on the creation of information technology jobs.

Castro, Bass, and Chu, whose caucuses represent more than half of all House Democrats, asked for a conversation with Google about Taylor’s hiring.

"This recent company hire appears to contradict Google’s own moral and ethical values and completely disregards the concerns expressed by many of your employees and customers that value immigrants and human rights,” they wrote.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×