Why big tech won't dump Trump's immigration policies — but big banks will

President Trump's immigration policies have forced businesses to test their political limits.

Last week, big banks started breaking their ties to the private prison system, deciding it wasn't worth the growing public relations fiasco. But big tech has held onto its controversial government contracts even as workers protest, making decisions that seemingly come down to the dollar, The Washington Post reports.

While working with the private prison system has long been controversial, its role in housing an ever-growing number of immigrant detainees has made it downright taboo for some customers. A wave of banks announcing their divestment from private prisons started with JPMorgan Chase last week. The bank said the decision was made via a cost-benefit analysis and not for PR reasons, per NBC News. Wells Fargo also said it would distance itself from private prisons, citing "environmental and social risk management."

Big tech companies have also gotten tangled in immigration policy. Amazon has sold its facial recognition technology to law enforcement, where it could be used to track undocumented immigrants, an ACLU lawsuit has alleged. Microsoft employees similarly protested a $19.4 million contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

While "prison finance is a small business for JPMorgan," Reuters says, government contracts are a bigger deal for tech companies. Even without prison companies, banks have "plenty of business opportunities to pursue," an investment expert tells the Post. But it's harder for tech companies to "draw distinct lines around" what kinds of immigration-related government projects they'll take on, the expert added. Read more at The Washington Post.