Some of the biggest technology companies are standing firm against President Donald Trump’s latest travel ban.
More than 160 technology companies, including Amazon (AMZN), Facebook (FB), and Google (GOOGL), filed a brief in a federal appeals court in Richmond, Va. On Wednesday, criticizing Trump’s revised order aimed at banning travelers from several mostly Muslim countries. The companies argued in the brief, which was earlier reported on by tech news site Recode, that the ban would ultimately hurt “U.S. Companies, their employees, and the entire economy.”
The companies are especially concerned that they wouldn’t be able to attract overseas talent, and believe the ban could let overseas competitors gain an advantage.
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Citing national security, President Trump’s second travel ban attempts to limit the number of people who can come to the U.S. From many majority-Muslim countries. The ban, called “Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States,” was issued by the President on March 6. A federal judge halted the order, dealing the President and his supporters a political blow on top of the one they suffered when his first travel ban in January was similarly blocked by a federal court.
President Trump has vowed to keep fighting for the ban is court. Supporters of the President’s order argue that he’s working in the country’s best interests and trying to stop terrorists from entering the country. Opponents, however, say that the bill discriminates against Muslims and Muslim countries and will ultimately hurt the U.S.
The technology industry has been steadfast against any travel ban since the President signed his first executive order. At that time, Apple (AAPL), Facebook, and several other companies similarly joined forces to criticize the order and call for its dismissal.
In an interview in February at University of Glasgow in Scotland where he was received an honorary doctorate, Apple CEO Tim Cook spoke out about the ban, saying that not saying something is tantamount to “agreeing” to it. He added that he believes it’s “important to speak out.”
The brief filed by the technology companies this week doesn’t mean that they are now part of the case or will help litigate it. Instead, the companies filed a “friends of the court” brief in support of the litigation against the ban. Sometimes, such briefs will be considered by when making a ruling. In other cases, they’re ignored.
