When 97 companies come pounding on your door, it may be time to listen.
Apple, along with 96 other companies, including Silicon Valley powerhouses such as Google and Facebook, filed an amicus brief late on Sunday to oppose the immigration order introduced by US President Donald Trump. An amicus brief is a legal filing that allows parties not directly involved in a lawsuit to offer their opinions to the court.
The brief says an open-ended ban does not aid America’s national security and instead undermines its interests. It notes that 200 of the companies in the Fortune 500 list were founded by immigrants or their children.
Other backers include Alphabet (via Google), Microsoft, Netflix, Twitter and Uber. Amazon is not listed but this is because Jeff Bezos, Amazon CEO, is already backing the original lawsuit. The amicus brief legally supports the cases filed in Washington and Minnesota.
The brief, which focuses on the immigration, ban from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen, includes the following comments:
“Immigrants make many of the Nation’s greatest discoveries, and create some of the country’s most innovative and iconic companies,” the brief states. “America has long recognized the importance of protecting ourselves against those who would do us harm. But it has done so while maintaining our fundamental commitment to welcoming immigrants—through increased background checks and other controls on people seeking to enter our country.”
At present, the order remains halted thanks to the decision of a US district judge who has temporarily stayed the ban.
In a memo to employees, Tim Cook has previously said that the order is ‘not a policy we support’. As well as attacking the purpose of the ban, the brief also criticizes the slapdash way in which it was enacted causing confusion and even more disruption.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
One reply on “Apple joins coalition of 97 companies filing amicus brief against Trump immigration ban”
Apple should stay out of politics, at least 60 mil Americans don’t agree. I would never buy their stock as long as Cook is in charge.