Boston Dynamics employees push to block sale of robot dogs to US immigration agency
More than 300 employees of US robotics company Boston Dynamics have signed a petition against supplying modified Spot robots to the immigration agency ICE. Management is standing by the deal while saying the robots will not be weaponized.
More than 300 employees of the US robotics company Boston Dynamics have signed a petition urging executives to halt the sale of four quadruped robots to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Company leadership is keeping the deal in place but says the robots will not be weaponized. The dispute matters because it touches on how technology firms handle government clients and on the company's ability to hire and keep staff.
The contract
On September 25, the Department of Homeland Security awarded a $1.3 million contract to Radeco, a Connecticut company, to supply ICE with four Boston Dynamics Spot robots that it modified and markets as the Cerberus platform. The contract says the robots are meant to detect radiation, toxic gas leaks and explosive threats in urban environments or disaster zones. They carry an oxygen sensor, a camera with 30x zoom, 360-degree cameras and infrared thermal imaging, with an optional robotic arm.
The contract is justified by the aims of Homeland Security Task Forces, including countering cross-border tunnels and dismantling human smuggling networks. Boston Dynamics stresses that the robots would mainly be used by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations unit, which focuses on transnational criminal organizations.
Employee objections
Workers sent the petition to executives in early September; half of the signatures are anonymous. The company employs about 1,400 people. The petition cites the September 4, 2025 raid at a Hyundai plant in Georgia, where 475 mostly South Korean workers were detained. Hyundai Motor Group has owned Boston Dynamics since June 2021. Signatories also warn that the decision could hurt hiring and retention.
Management's position
Amanda McMaster, former interim CEO, wrote in an email that the decision fits the company's aim of ethically advancing intelligent machines, and urged staff to accept it. Sales terms prohibit using Spot to harm or intimidate people or animals or as a weapon. A company spokesperson said violations could lead to a voided warranty, halted software updates and license termination, and that no customer has breached the terms so far.
