A planned sale of modified robot dogs to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement has put Boston Dynamics employees and company leaders at odds. More than 300 workers signed a petition asking executives to halt the deal, while the company says it will proceed and argues that the robots can help protect people from dangerous environments.
What the contract covers
On September 25, the Department of Homeland Security awarded a $1.3 million contract to Radeco, a Connecticut company, to provide ICE with four modified Boston Dynamics Spot robots. Radeco’s upgraded platform is called Cerberus. Boston Dynamics is expected to provide technical support for the modified robots.
The contract describes the equipment as a tool for remote inspection and observation. Its stated tasks include detecting radiation, toxic gas leaks and explosive threats in urban environments or disaster zones. An oxygen sensor is intended to help assess whether air is breathable before personnel enter confined spaces such as tunnels.
Cerberus also includes cameras with 30-times zoom capability, 360-degree cameras and infrared thermal imaging. An optional Spot robotic arm can manipulate objects, open doors and provide additional camera views when extended. The contract says the robot can navigate complex industrial environments and carry out repeatable autonomous missions with minimal human intervention.
ICE’s stated justification connects the purchase to Homeland Security Task Forces’ work on counter-illicit cross-border tunnel operations and efforts against human smuggling and trafficking networks. That purpose is central to the debate: the same equipment presented as useful for hazardous inspections would be supplied to an agency whose work includes immigration enforcement.
Employees question how the robots could be used
Workers sent their petition to company executives in early September and shared copies with The Boston Globe and WBUR public radio station. More than 300 people signed, about half anonymously, out of a Boston Dynamics workforce of approximately 1,400.
The petition says employees value their work and the chance to change public perceptions of robotics, but argues that the ICE agreement creates too much risk for the company. Signatories also pointed to an ICE and Homeland Security Investigations workplace raid at the Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America facility in Georgia on September 4, 2025. The operation detained 475 primarily South Korean workers.
Hyundai Motor Group became Boston Dynamics’ parent company after acquiring the robotics firm in June 2021. The petition says the raid affected colleagues at Hyundai and objects to the company’s work being used by a government agency that signatories say has harmed civilians. The episode gives the dispute a direct connection to the company’s wider corporate family, as well as to the intended use of the robots.
Boston Dynamics has said the robots would primarily be used by ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations unit, which focuses on combating transnational criminal organizations. But the source also notes that the unit has been involved in deportations and workplace raids. During Trump’s second term, it again redirected thousands of agents to immigration enforcement and deportations after an executive order redefined its primary mission.
The company stands by the sale
Boston Dynamics says Spot robots are tools that can help keep people out of harm’s way. A spokesperson said the company believes the robots should be used when they can help keep people safe, regardless of political implications or personal feelings about the organizations involved.
In an email responding to the petition, former interim CEO Amanda McMaster said the decision aligned with the company’s purpose of ethically advancing intelligent machines in service of humanity. She asked employees to respect and accept the decision, even if they disagreed with it.
The company points to sales terms that prohibit intentional use of Spot to harm or intimidate any person or animal, to use it as a weapon, or to enable a weapon. Boston Dynamics says it has worked with the Department of Homeland Security and Homeland Security Investigations for years, and that those customers have followed the terms.
The company also says it would take immediate action if a customer misused Spot. Potential steps include voiding the warranty, refusing future software updates, ending the customer’s license, taking available legal action and likely never selling to that customer again. It says it has not found a customer violation of those terms while working with the Department of Homeland Security and other public safety agencies.
A dispute with implications for the workforce
The disagreement arrives as Boston Dynamics develops a robotics and AI facility in Waltham, Massachusetts, near its headquarters. The $100 million project is expected to create 1,250 new jobs by 2033. The petition signals that the ICE deal is also a question of whether employees can support the way their work is put to use as the company grows.
For now, the company’s position rests on limits written into its sales terms and its stated willingness to enforce them. Employees’ objection centers on the agency receiving the robots and the wider record of its immigration work. The contract describes safety and inspection capabilities, but the disagreement shows that the intended technical task does not settle concerns about the institution using the technology.