Meta Cafeteria Workers Took On ICE When Big Tech Stayed Silent — And Won

In the shadow of the Trump administration’s ruthless immigration crackdown, the cafeteria workers at Meta’s Bellevue, Washington campus did what their employers would not: they stood up to ICE and won. When Serigne, a Senegalese asylum seeker and brother of dishwasher Abdoul Mbengue, was detained last December under a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement program, it was the workers—not Meta executives—who rallied to his defense.

Mbengue and his colleagues in the Meta café known as Crashpad are a diverse group, many from Africa, the Caribbean, and Ukraine, with several relying on temporary protections or asylum claims. As ICE raids swept workplaces nationwide last June, these workers made a pact to support each other if one of them was targeted. When Serigne was detained, they launched a fundraising campaign to cover his legal defense. Donations poured in not just from their immediate coworkers but also from tech employees at Meta, Microsoft, and Amazon, including a longtime Amazon engineer who contributed over $600 anonymously.

Their efforts paid off. On February 24, a judge ordered Serigne’s release. “He is back because of the efforts,” Mbengue says through a translator. This victory highlights a growing shift in tech industry activism: as executives increasingly avoid public stands against Trump’s policies, workers are stepping up to fill the void.

The cafeteria staff are employed by Lavish Roots, a catering company contracted by Meta. Over 60 percent of these workers recently petitioned to unionize with Unite Here Local 8, joining a broader wave of union efforts sweeping tech campuses. Yet Lavish Roots has fought back hard, reportedly surveilling and disciplining union supporters, and imposing new restrictions on workplace communication.

Immigration raids have intensified the urgency behind this organizing. Unlike their counterparts at Microsoft, Google, and other Meta offices with union contracts that protect workers during immigration proceedings, Lavish Roots employees face job insecurity and lack protections when ICE comes knocking. Workers report that on January 29, two DHS agents were turned away at Microsoft’s Redmond campus, but such protections don’t extend to contractors like Lavish Roots.

Mbengue, who fled Senegal in 2023 and endured a grueling two-hour commute to his job, describes the work environment as harsh and inequitable. “There is no respect. The work is very hard,” he says bluntly. His decision to fight for unionization and support colleagues targeted by ICE is a direct response to these conditions. “I choose to fight,” he declares.

Beyond their own workplace, these workers have connected with activists across the tech industry, sharing strategies and building networks for legal defense and logistical support. They are developing a pool of volunteers to escort colleagues to immigration hearings and assist with paperwork, creating a grassroots safety net where corporate leadership has failed.

This story is a stark reminder that in an era when big tech companies often prioritize profits over people, it is the workers on the ground—many from vulnerable immigrant communities—who are bravely pushing back against authoritarian overreach. Their success in securing Serigne’s release is a beacon for others fighting for dignity, justice, and basic human rights inside the tech industry and beyond.