Apple and other giants plan to send letter to Trump speaking out against foreign ban

THE Executive Order 13769, signed by the President of the United States, Donald Trump (I will not deny that my fingers still shake when I write this), it continues to cause very energetic reactions outside. The decree that strictly forbids the entry of serious refugees and citizens from seven countries considered "threats" to US sovereignty for 90 days, which can be extended thereafter, has received severe criticism from various segments of society and has been answered with protests in various cities around the world whole.

Tim Cook in meeting with Donald Trump

Apple and other big tech companies have already made their positions contrary to order quite clear, but apparently they are going to take another step in this resistance. According to the Recode, a group composed of some of the largest American companies in the industry, including Apple, Microsoft, Google / Alphabet, Facebook, Uber, Stripe and others, he is writing a letter addressed to the new president to reinforce and formalize the opposition.

The website obtained a draft of the letter, which we freely translate below:

Dear President Trump,

Since the birth of this country, America has been the land of opportunity welcoming immigrants and giving them the chance to build families, careers and businesses in the United States. We are a nation strengthened by immigrants. As entrepreneurs and executive leaders, our ability to strengthen our companies and create jobs depends on the contribution of immigrants everywhere.

We support your goal of ensuring that our immigration system respects current security rules and keeps our country safe. We are concerned, however, that your recent executive order will affect a large number of visa holders who work hard here in the United States and contribute to the success of our country. In a global economy, it is crucial that we continue to attract the best and brightest talent from around the world. We appreciate the changes your administration has made in the past few days in how the Department of Homeland Security will implement the executive order, and we are on hand to help your administration identify other opportunities to ensure that our employees can travel without surprises and without delay. last minute.

The compass of ours is not part of what makes it exceptional, and we are ready to help your administration to identify ways to conduct a full screening of immigrants without the need for an indistinct ban on admissions in the refugee reception program. Although security and veto procedures can and should always be subject to assessment and improvement, an indistinct ban is not the best approach.

Likewise, we are willing to identify ways to help you fulfill your goal of bringing prosperity to the future of 750,000 dreamers in this country under the protection of the immigrant child support program (DACA) in a way that “makes people happy and proud ”. Removing these protections, barring visa renewals, would effectively mean the end of the program and would end the possibility for these dreamers to work and live without the fear of deportation.

The executive community shares its dedication to making the American economy grow and expanding job creation across the country. We hire thousands of Americans and many of the most talented people from elsewhere, who work together to help our companies grow and expand their ability to employ. As you contemplate changes in the complex and interconnected immigration policies of the United States, whether in business and employment visas, refugees or DACA, we hope you will use us as a way of helping on the way to arriving at an immigration policy that collaborates with the work of American companies and reflect the values ​​of this country.

Apparently, the work of Apple, Google and the beautiful company now garner the support of other giants in other branches so that the letter has even more weight and gains effectiveness before the Trump administration. It is not yet known, however, when (or if) it will actually be sent and what the effects are in practice.

Everything is beautiful, of course, but let's not be naive: these companies are only doing this because Trump's policy is potentially very damaging to their operations; from the moment that all this calamity becomes financially beneficial to them, we can guarantee that they will all be quiet and rejoice and be satisfied in their thrones. The fact that they seem socially aware and engaged is only a positive side effect of this manifestation.

Anyway, at least minimally comforting to see that giants with an economic power that we, mere mortals, will never dream of are taking a reasonable position in relation to an absurd situation of declared xenophobia involving the most powerful country in the world. Perhaps, in this case, the ends justify the means.

(via Cult of Mac)