NYC Comptroller Calls on City to Stop Working With McKinsey: ‘I Am Deeply Disturbed’

On Tuesday, ProPublica and The New York Times released a report stating that the international consulting firm McKinsey & Company helped Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) make inhumane cuts to their resources, some directly affecting immigrants who had been detained by the agency. “They proposed cuts in spending on food for migrants, as well as on medical care and supervision of detainees,” the story states. Reportedly, these findings come after interviews with people who worked at both agencies and over 1,000 pages obtained through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by ProPublica.

In response, New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer is demanding that the city stop all work with McKinsey. Here is the statement from Stringer, which Latino Rebels received via a press release:

“I am deeply disturbed by reports​ that McKinsey & Company proposed cuts to food and medical care, as well as accelerated deportation, in the name of reducing costs at ICE.

These are human beings, not budget line items.

New York City has worked with McKinsey on a variety of projects, including in the Department of Correction. In light of these outrageous reports, I seriously question whether this is a company we should continue to entrust with taxpayer dollars and sensitive projects.

I am calling on the City to reconsider any future relationships with McKinsey and ensure that any contracted work is aligned with our values as a city.

Efficiency cannot come at the expense of morality.”

The report from ProPublica stated that this isn’t the first time the company has been under scrutiny, “others have raised questions about whether the firm has crossed ethical and legal lines in pursuit of profit.” Some of those instances include helping advance authoritarian regimes.

As for New York City, the McKinsey website says that its Manhattan office is the company’s largest one. “Located in the heart of Manhattan, we are a hub for high impact client work along with community initiatives and networking,” the website states.