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Companies and countries criticize Trump's executive order banning immigrants from seven Muslim-majority countries

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Since Friday, many United States companies and other countries have come out against President Trump’s executive order banning immigrants and non-immigrants coming to the U.S. from Iraq, Iran, Syria, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen for 90 days.

Companies

Immigrants have a history of starting businesses in the United States, according to a 2011 report from the Partnership for a New American Economy, which found about 45 percent of high-tech companies in the Fortune 500 were founded by immigrants or children of immigrants.

Google sent out a memo to its employees urging anyone with a visa, green card or dual citizenship from one of the seven banned countries to cancel their travel plans.

“While the entry restriction is currently only in place for 90 days, it could be extended with little or no warning,” the memo read, according to CNN.

Google also released a statement Saturday which said the company is “concerned about the impact of this order and any proposals that could impose restrictions on Googlers and their families, or that could create barriers to bringing great talent to the US.”

The company also said it promised to “continue to make our views on these issues known to leaders in Washington and elsewhere.”

One of the company’s co-founders, Sergey Brin, attended a protest at the San Francisco International Airport. Brin declined to comment and said he was there in a personal capacity, according to CNN. Brin is an immigrant from Russia.

Apple CEO Tim Cook sent an email in response to what he called “deep concerns” from employees. Cooke assured employees Apple doesn’t support Trump’s policy.

“Apple would not exist without immigration, let alone thrive and innovate the way we do,” he said in an email, according to CNN.

“Apple will do everything we can to support them,” Cooke said in the email. “Apple is open. Open to everyone, no matter where they come from, which language they speak, who they love or how they worship.”

Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft and an Indian immigrant, told employees Saturday the company is committed to providing “legal advice and assistance” to its 76 employees who are citizens of the affected countries.

“We appreciate that immigration issues are important to a great many people across Microsoft at a principled and even personal level, regardless of whether they personally are immigrants,” Microsoft executive Brad Smith said in an email to employees, which Nadella shared on LinkedIn.

Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky tweeted in two consecutive tweets Saturday “not allowing countries or refugees into America is not right, and we must stand with those who are affected. Airbnb is providing free housing to refugees and anyone not allowed in the US. Stayed tuned for more, contact me if urgent need for housing.”

Amazon also emailed employees about the 
potential consequences of the order and offered legal advice to employees who may be 
affected.

“As we’ve grown the company, we’ve worked hard to attract talented people from all over the world, and we believe this is one of the things that makes Amazon great -- a diverse workforce helps us build better products for customers,” said Beth Galetti, Amazon’s vice president of HR, in an email.

While some companies received positive feedback for their responses to the executive order, others have gotten backlash.

The New York City Taxi Worker’s Alliance called for a complete stop to pickups from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at JFK airport Saturday, where two Iraqis were being detained. Uber received negative attention on social media after the company tweeted at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday it was suspending surge pricing at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.

Eliminating surge pricing effectively lowers the cost of a ride with Uber.

#DeleteUber quickly started trending on Twitter. 
People shared photos of the “delete” screen on their phone and compared Uber’s move to crossing the picket lines, according to CNN.

In response, Uber tweeted Sunday morning that the move was not meant to break up the strike.

Uber CEO Travis Kalanick posted on Facebook on Saturday that the company was in the process of identifying drivers from the seven countries who could be affected by the ban.

For those currently stuck outside the United States, Kalanick said Uber would help compensate for their missed wages during the 90-day ban period.

However, in the post Kalanick emphasized the importance of working with Trump.

Kalanick also reiterated this to employees at an all-hands meeting last week, according to CNN. Kalanick is a member of Trump’s business advisory group, which will have its first meeting this Friday, he said.

Lyft, Uber’s biggest competitor, took an alternative approach. The company emailed customers 
Sunday morning condemning Trump’s order and calling it “antithetical to both Lyft’s and our nation’s core values.” Lyft also said it will donate $1 million to the American Civil Liberties Union through the next four years, according to the LA Times.

International responses

In response to the U.S. banning Iranian entrance in the country, Iran retaliated with a restriction on U.S. citizens entering the country.

In contrast to the U.S.’s stance, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau shared his country’s open-door-policy on Twitter.

“To those fleeing persecution, terror & war, Canadians will welcome you, regardless of your faith. Diversity is our strength #WelcomeToCanada” Trudeau tweeted 
Saturday.

He subsequently tweeted a picture of him greeting a Syrian refugee, with the hashtag #WelcomeToCanada.

Leaders of Scotland, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Germany, France and the Netherlands have all condemned the ban on social media as well.

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