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Tech companies speak out against Trump's travel order

Monday, 06 February 2017 4:27 PM [ Last Update: Monday, 06 February 2017 4:27 PM ]

Almost 100 technology companies, including Apple, Google and Microsoft, spoke against US President Donald Trump's executive order barring people from seven Muslim countries from entering the US. (file photo)

Nearly 100 technology companies, including Apple, Google and Microsoft, have united against US President Donald Trump's executive order that blocks the entry of citizens from seven Muslim countries.

The 97 companies, which also include Facebook, Netflix, Twitter, eBay and Uber, filed a legal brief against the presidential order with the US Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, arguing that it "inflicts significant harm on American business."

The amicus brief comes after the federal appeals court on Sunday denied an emergency appeal from the Department of Justice to restore Trump’s executive order.

"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 from the companies stated.

"The Order inflicts significant harm on American business, innovation, and growth as a result," it added.

The brief also noted that immigrants or their children founded "more than 200 of the companies on the Fortune 500 list," pointing out that immigration and economic growth are "intimately tied."

"The problems that render the Executive Order harmful to businesses and their employees also make it unlawful," the companies said.

Other companies involved in the new filing include Lyft, Pinterest, Yelp, Square, Reddit, Dropbox and Medium, according to The Washington Post.

US President Donald Trump shows his signature on executive orders alongside US Defense Secretary James Mattis (R) and US Vice President Mike Pence on January 27, 2016 at the Pentagon in Washington, DC. (Photo by AFP)

Trump signed the executive order on January 27 that imposed a temporary travel ban on citizens from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen and placed an indefinite ban on Syrian refugees. The move also suspended admission of all refugees for 120 days.

The Republican president has come under immense pressure from politicians and rights groups to rescind the Muslim ban.

On Friday, US District Court Judge James Robart of Seattle, Washington, ruled in favor of a lawsuit seeking to overturn the presidential order.

Trump was forced to comply with judge Robart's order on Saturday halting his travel ban, but later said the Justice Department would succeed in appealing the verdict.

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