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Tech companies form coalition to support American immigrant ‘dreamers’
Almost two dozen companies from tech and other industries are forming a coalition to lobby Congress for young immigrants in the U.S. to secure residency, according to a report in Reuters.
The Coalition for the American Dream will ask Congress to create new legislation that will give young undocumented immigrants a foothold in their battle to stay in the country. The move comes after a decision in September by the Trump administration to end the Obama-era program “Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals,” or DACA, that protected about 840,000 undocumented immigrants known as “dreamers.”
The coalition will consist of many of the biggest names in the tech industry, including Google LLC, Microsoft Corp., Facebook Inc., Intel Corp. and Uber Technologies Inc. According to Reuters, some of the companies have not yet confirmed their part in the coalition, though Uber and Intel both did.
“Uber joined the Coalition for the American Dream because we stand with the Dreamers,” a spokesperson said. “We’ve also held town halls, provided legal support and launched an online Dreamer Resource Center for any of our drivers.”
In September the Trump administration said the reason for ending the program was to bring jobs back to Americans. “We must also recognize that we are a nation of opportunity because we are a nation of laws,” Trump said.
The decision was met with dismay from many tech leaders, including Facebook Inc. Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg, who called it a “sad day for our country.” Former President Barack Obama said the move made no sense and that it was cruel “to expel talented, driven, patriotic young people from the only country they know solely because of the actions of their parents.”
According to the report, the coalition sign-up form stated that more than 70 percent of the top Fortune 500 companies employs so-called Dreamers, many of whom are Latino. A document from the coalition that Reuters obtained read, “Dreamers are part of our society, defend our country, and support our economy.”
It’s believed Congress will make its decision on DACA in December.
Image: Harrie van Veen via Flickr
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