Meta cafeteria workers rallied to free one of their own after an ICE raid, showing the shift in tech industry activism.
Bellevue, Washington: Last summer, staff at Meta’s Crashpad café made a promise to help each other during immigration crackdowns. In December, Abdoul Mbengue, a dishwasher from Senegal, needed their help when his brother Serigne was detained by federal immigration agents.
The café workers—cooks, dishwashers, and servers—come from Africa, the Caribbean, and Ukraine. Many came to the United States on temporary permission while waiting for their asylum or immigration cases to be decided. Some employees earn money to pay rent while living in safe homes provided by others.
When Mbengue told his coworkers about his brother’s detention under the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement program, they started raising money for legal defense. News spread through group chats to workers at other tech companies, and people from Meta, Microsoft, and Amazon donated thousands of dollars total. A software engineer from Amazon gave $100, then added $500 after learning more. In February, a judge released Mbengue’s brother from custody.
This effort shows how worker activism is changing in the tech industry. Years ago, tech workers protested immigration bans together with company leaders. Now, they feel they must help each other because their companies won’t take strong public stands. More than 200 dining hall workers at Meta’s Bellevue and Redmond locations want to form a union with Unite Here Local 8. They say their employer, Lavish Roots, campaigned against unionization through meetings, flyers, texts, and emails. Union supporters say they have been disciplined and watched closely.
Unionized cafeteria workers at Microsoft and Google already have job protections while trying to renew work permits, and their immigration hearings count as excused time off. Mbengue says Microsoft workers “have the security and ability to live freely.” Workers also worry about immigration agents entering their buildings, saying this almost happened at Microsoft’s headquarters in Redmond on January 29.