Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky has announced that the company will work to provide free housing for those affected by travel restrictions resulting from a Trump administration executive order issued Friday.
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
— Brian Chesky (@bchesky) January 29, 2017
Presumably, the Airbnb initiative would be aimed at helping travelers unexpectedly stuck outside of the U.S. On Saturday, travelers from restricted countries were detained in U.S. Airports or blocked from boarding U.S.-bound planes. That included U.S. Green card holders and other legal residents.
Airbnb now operates globally, with less than 20% of its listings located in the U.S.
Though a federal judge has blocked certain aspects of the Trump travel ban, its potential impacts in both the short and long term remain murky.
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Chesky had earlier criticized the travel ban on ethical grounds.
Open doors brings all of US together. Closing doors further divides US. Let's all find ways to connect people, not separate them.
— Brian Chesky (@bchesky) January 28, 2017
Not allowing countries or refugees into America is not right, and we must stand with those who are affected.
— Brian Chesky (@bchesky) January 29, 2017
Other tech leaders and companies have spoken out against the Trump administration order, including representatives of Facebook, Apple, and Uber.
Lyft has pledged a $1 million donation to the ACLU, which has fought the travel ban, and Uber has committed funds to aid impacted drivers. But Airbnb’s pledge could become the broadest move by a tech company to provide direct aid to those affected.
The company’s customer support team promised further details to come.
Thanks for your support. Opening doors will help bring US all together. We will be providing more info in the days ahead.
— Airbnb Help (@AirbnbHelp) January 29, 2017
