A group that includes some of the largest tech companies in the world have stepped up their opposition to President Trump’s immigration ban.
The group, which includes the likes of Apple, Google, and Microsoft, said that the temporary immigration ban “inflicts significant harm on American business.”
Along with the three tech giants, the amicus brief, which is a legal document filed by non-litigants with strong interest in the subject, included signatories such as Uber, Twitter, Airbnb, Box, Dropbox, eBay, GoPro, Lyft and Spotify, in total almost 100 tech and non-tech firms signed the brief.
The temporary immigration ban has been one of the most hotly debated actions of Trump’s presidency, sparking mass protests in numerous countries around the world and a raft of condemnation from leading political figures.
Tech companies initially responded to the ban by criticising the action and posting advice to staff on blogs. Airbnb opened up an offer to provide free housing to refugees hit by the ban, while Travis Kalanick, the CEO of Uber, opted to step down from Trump’s economic advisory council.
Travis Kalanick, CEO, Uber.
The filing from the tech companies said that the Order inflicts significant harm on American business, “innovation, and growth as a result.”
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“The Order represents a significant departure from the principles of fairness and predictability that have governed the immigration system of the United States for more than fifty years,” the brief said.
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Social media had been quick to point out the important role that immigrants have played in American history, and some of the CEO’s of the leading tech companies in the US are children of immigrants and in some cases refugees that fled to the States.
The brief said: “Immigrants or their children founded more than 200 of the companies on the Fortune 500 list.”
Currently the Trump immigration ban is suspended, following the temporary restraining order issued by a federal judge that blocked the implementation of key parts of the travel ban.
