Tech Companies to Trump: Your Travel Ban Is 'Not The Right Approach'
Executives from a number of major tech companies, including Google parent Alphabet, Apple, Facebook, and Uber have drafted a letter to President Donald Trump opposing his recent immigration executive order, according to Recode.
The site obtained a draft of the letter, which states that "a blanket suspension is not the right approach." The executives start out the letter by saying they would not be able to grow their companies without the help of immigrants.
"Since the country's birth, America has been the land of opportunity – welcoming newcomers and giving them the chance to build families, careers, and businesses in the United States," they wrote. "We are a nation made stronger by immigrants."
They go on to say that they share Trump's goal of ensuring that the country's immigration system keeps the country safe.
"We are concerned, however, that your recent executive order will affect many visa holders who work hard here in the United States and contribute to our country's success," they wrote. "In a global economy, it is critical that we continue to attract the best and brightest from around the world."
The executives further argue that "our nation's compassion is a part of what makes it exceptional," and say they "are committed to helping your administration identify approaches for thorough screening without a blanket suspension of admissions."
The letter comes after President Trump on Friday signed an executive order that limits immigration from seven countries for 90 days: Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. Following news of the order, protestors swarmed major US airports in New York, San Francisco, Atlanta, Seattle, and more.
A number of tech leaders have already spoken out against the order, including Google co-founder Sergey Brin, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Microsoft chief Satya Nadella, Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, Netflix chief Reed Hastings, Box CEO Aaron Levie, Tesla and SpaceX's Elon Musk, Uber CEO Travis Kalanick, and more. Musk and Kalanick both sit on Trump's Strategic and Policy Forum, a group formed in December to advise the president on job creation.
Meanwhile, Amazon and Expedia this week endorsed Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson's lawsuit opposing Trump's immigration executive order. The complaint says the mandate violates the US Constitution and federal Immigration and Nationality Act. It "asks the court to declare major sections of the Executive Order illegal and unconstitutional and to enjoin the Trump Administration from enforcing the policy."
This article originally appeared on PCMag.com.