The executive order signed on Friday by President Trump is broad in scope. Besides temporarily halting the admission of refugees, an indefinite ban has been put on admissions of refugees from Syria.
And as the world knows now, seven Muslim-majority countries have been singled out, with a ban on admittance into the U.S. in effect for 90 days. But this order doesn’t pertain to people of “other” religions.
The order also applies to green card and visa holders from those seven nations already in this country. The U.S. tech industry is a major employer of foreign workers, and some of the workers were left stranded overseas on Friday while on company business, according to GeekWire.
In an email obtained by Bloomberg, Google CEO Sundar Pichai slammed Trump’s executive order, saying over 100 employees are affected by the order. Pichai said some employees were traveling abroad when the order went into effect and have been trying to get back into the country, according to an anonymous source cited by Bloomberg.
“We’re concerned about the impact of this order and any proposals that could impose restrictions on Googlers and their families, or that create barriers to bringing great talent to the U.S.,” the company wrote in an official statement. “We’ll continue to make our views on these issues known to leaders in Washington and elsewhere.”
Reuters quoted Netflix Inc Chief Executive Reed Hastings, who called it “a sad week” and added: “It is time to link arms together to protect American values of freedom and opportunity.”
Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook sent a letter out to employees, saying Trump’s executive order was “not a policy we support” and promising the company would help any affected employees.
Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky said: “Not allowing countries or refugees into America is not right and we must stand with those who are affected.” Chesky also said that Airbnb will provide free housing to anyone denied entry into the U.S.
Even SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who met recently with Trump, was upset over the order, tweeting: “The blanket entry ban on citizens from certain primarily Muslim countries is not the best way to address the country’s challenges.”
Microsoft Corp told TechCrunch they were already providing legal assistance to employees affected by the order. Microsoft states: “We share the concerns about the impact of the executive order on our employees from the listed countries, all of whom have been in the United States lawfully, and we’re actively working with them to provide legal advice and assistance.”
Readers will get the picture – From Linkedin, Facebook, Uber, Mozilla and many more tech companies, owners and CEOs are speaking out against the immigration order. Politico reports that the Trump team insists the order is necessary to protect U.S. citizens from “radical Islamic terrorists.”
“We don’t want ‘em here,” Trump said at the Pentagon, where he signed the order.
And while a federal court judge in New York was able to grant an emergency stay that allowed travelers with a valid visa into the country, the bigger concern for everyone should be how our country’s status as a haven for the oppressed has been tarnished. And bigger still – The darned order is unconstitutional!
In a matter of days, Trump has trashed our democracy, freedom of speech, freedom of religion and our global respect as a country. Just how long will it take before America wakes up and realizes we are like sheep, being led to the slaughter?
