Apple, Facebook, Amazon Ask Trump To Preserve DACA

Standing together as one and fighting for every single person’s rights, that is what hundreds of chief executives from the biggest companies in the U.S. believe in. Over 350 executives signed an open letter urging the current U.S. president not to get rid of the program known as “Dreamers.”

According to the White House Press Secretary, Sarah Sanders, Trump is still reviewing the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals and might come up with a decision this coming Tuesday, September 5, after the Labor Day weekend. This program was adopted when former U.S. President Obama was still in office, wherein over 800,000 immigrants from all over the world, who came to America illegally as children, were given renewable two-year work permits, which means that they are protected from deportation under its provisions. For the benefit of the doubt, keep reading to find out more about this program, and why tech giants are urging Trump not to dismantle it.

WHAT IS DACA?

In 2012, the U.S. President at that time, Barack Obama, established the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals or more commonly referred to as DACA. It is a program that allows unauthorized immigrants who came to the U.S. when they were young. They are then protected from deportation under the guidelines, however, DACA is not a law that is legislated by the U.S. Congress.

HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE AFFECTED BY DACA?

Participants of DACA, who are referred to as “Dreamers”, are more than 800,000, at least according to the recent figures from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. When President Trump decides to dismantle this program, thousands of people could lose their jobs, and this is according to the Center for American Progress.

WHY TRUMP WANTS TO END IT?

White House Press Secretary, Sarah Sanders stated that “Trump is in the process of finalizing and will make a decision on Tuesday. He loves children and wants to make sure this decision is done correctly.”
An official also said that Trump will allow the so-called Dreamers to remain and work in the United States, but only until their work permits expire. However, according to Sanders, Trump’s decision to end the program is not something that he takes lightly, that is why he is taking his time to make sure that he goes through the process and that his choice “is weighing on him, certainly.”

Some Republican state lawmakers gave the Trump administration until September 5 to actually come up with a decision over DACA. That is because, during the presidential campaign in 2016, Trump actually referred to DACA as “illegal amnesty”. However, Trump told the Associated Press last April that he had softened his stance when it comes to the program. Then again, once a decision has been made and Trump chooses to end DACA, it could affect his other immigration plans such as securing the border wall.

U.S. TECH GIANTS FIGHTING FOR DACA

Some of the biggest chief executives from different companies such as Apple, Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft, Google, including business magnate, Warren Buffett, and more, signed an open letter for Trump regarding the dismantling of DACA. The letter was posted on FWD.us which is a bipartisan organization backed by Mark Zuckerburg and other tech-industry leaders.

The letter says, “As entrepreneurs and business leaders, we are concerned about new developments in immigration policy that threaten the future of young undocumented immigrants brought to America as children.” Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerburg posted his insights regarding the said matter on his Facebook page.

Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella, also took a stand on the recent blog post in LinkedIn, against changes that could affect people that are currently under the DACA program. “This is the America that I know, and of which I am a proud citizen. This is the America that I love and that my family and I call home. And this is the American that I will always advocate for,” he wrote.

President Trump is obviously facing the pressure since his decision would definitely affect a lot of people’s lives and his position as the new president of one of the most powerful countries in the world. Since DACA is unconstitutional, some members of the Congress are challenging him into doing what is right. After Labor Day, the president would have to make a decision. Whatever it may be, it will definitely change lives either for the good or the bad.