Amid a whirlwind of criticism related to the policy of separating illegal immigrant families in the United States, public opinion and the negative backlash caused by the measure led Donald Trump to reverse his decision.
That's because every adult who crossed the border with their children and was criminally prosecuted for illegal entry would be taken directly to a federal prison. Since American law prevents children from staying in prisons, they would be sent to shelters run by the government.
Faced with disapproval of the measure and the negative repercussions it had around the world, Trump backed down from his decision in just two days, saying he would end the separation of immigrant families at the borders. However, border protection remains a priority for the Administration.
Part of this disapproval came from the tech industry, from companies like Apple, Microsoft and Google. Check out below the stance some of them took:
Apple
Tim Cook, the company's CEO, said in an interview with the Irish Times that the decision was inhumane and heartbreaking, reinforcing that his company is working with people in government to try to be a constructive voice on the matter.
Microsoft
The company issued two statements after receiving criticism about a post from January of this year, in which it said it was proud to provide technology services to immigration and customs enforcement agents.
In them, Microsoft emphasizes that it has been working for more than 20 years to combine technology with the rule of law to ensure that the children of refugees and immigrants can stay with their parents, and that it is not involved in projects related to separating children from their families. It further asks that the government reconsider its policy.
Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google, said on Twitter that the stories and images of families being separated are extremely upsetting. He further calls for the American government to find a more humane way forward.
IBM
The tech company asked Congress to pass legislation to fix some immigration issues, as well as to keep children with their families.
We urge Congress to pass legislation to help #Dreamers , but the Administration doesn't need to wait for an act of Congress to keep children with their families. #KeepFamiliesTogether #DACA https://t.co/svG2gaELNZ pic.twitter.com/08IGEXvhq4 – IBMPolicy (@IBMpolicy) June 20, 2018
Susan Wojcicki, the platform's CEO, also believes the policy is devastating and recommended, via Twitter, ways her more than 200 thousand followers could help reverse the decision.
Mark Zuckerberg praised the organizations working to provide families at the borders with legal, documentation, and translation services. He also called on people to make donations to groups that support these projects. Both Mark and Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook's COO, donated to a platform campaign aimed at reuniting children with their parents.
Regardless of your politics, it's heartbreaking to see what's happening to families at the border. Here are some ways you can help: https://t.co/IFVG6g8AKO – Susan Wojcicki (@SusanWojcicki) June 19, 2018
Twitter / Square
Jack Dorsey, CEO of Twitter and Square, an online mobile payments platform, showed his support through the hashtag #KeepFamiliesTogether, before asking Twitter users for suggestions on what would be the “highest impact way to help“.
Do everything it takes to #KeepFamilesTogether . What are the highest impact ways to help? – jack (@jack) June 19, 2018
Uber
CEO Dara Khosrowshahi tweeted that, as a father, citizen, and immigrant himself, the stories coming from the border are heartbreaking, that families are the backbone of society, and that a policy that separates them rather than bringing them together is immoral and simply wrong.
As a father, a citizen and an immigrant myself, the stories coming from our border break my heart. Families are the backbone of society. A policy that pulls them apart rather than building them up is immoral and just plain wrong. #KeepFamiliesTogether https://t.co/g2Cu40zvcX – dara khosrowshahi (@dkhos) June 19, 2018
Lyft
Logan Green and John Zimmer, Lyft co-founders, issued statements saying their company would offer free rides to 12 organizations that help families separated at the border.
We are taking action to help the families and children that are being unjustly separated at the border by offering Lyft Relief Rides to 12 organizations (including @RAICESTEXAS , @TXCivilRights , @supportKIND ) #KeepFamiliesTogether – Logan Green (@logangreen) June 19, 2018
Mozilla
Denelle Dixon, Mozilla's COO, said the “cruelties” at the border go far beyond policy disagreements and that, as an American and a mother, she is horrified by stories of children being mercilessly separated and kept apart from their parents.
https://twitter.com/DenelleDixon/status/1009187806004981760
The United States once championed human rights around the world. If we want to keep our humanity and the world's respect, the US Administration must stop this practice immediately. (2/2) https://t.co/PAmlW7rGMo – Denelle Dixon (@DenelleDixon) June 19, 2018
eBay
Devin Wenig, the company's CEO, said he supports border enforcement, but not the separation of families. He also tweeted that America's moral and ethical leadership is at stake.
Enforce the border—-but do not separate families. America's moral and ethical leadership is at stake. This needs to be fixed now. – Devin Wenig (@devinwenig) June 19, 2018
Cisco Systems
Chuck Robbins, Cisco's CEO, said Trump's policy is cruel and that we need solutions that reflect our values and do what's right for society.
Must end cruel policy of separating accompanied minors from their parents – simply un-American. We need policies that reflect our values and do what's right for society. @Cisco @BizRoundtable #KeepFamiliesTogether https://t.co/E8QZfQ6amm – Chuck Robbins (@ChuckRobbins) June 19, 2018
Airbnb
The company's three co-founders said, in a joint statement, that ripping children from their parents' arms is inhumane, cruel, immoral and contrary to American values of belonging.
Ripping children from their parents' arms is cruel. This policy must end. pic.twitter.com/R2b3FXtxqU – Brian Chesky (@bchesky) June 18, 2018
Other companies, such as Box, Salesforce, Postmates, Reddit, SV Angel, Coursera, and SmugMug, also spoke out against the policy.
The act of separating families at the border is inhumane and un-American. We cannot let this continue. We need our government to address immigration in a compassionate and scalable way *now*. – Aaron Levie ?? (@levie) June 19, 2018
[37] Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. [38] This is the first and great commandment. [39] And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. https://t.co/hSm3cUuwXZ – Marc Benioff (@Benioff) June 15, 2018
Needlessly ripping families apart is cruel and undermines what this nation was founded upon. We must do more to #KeepFamiliesTogether . We must not let bursts of tears at the border fall on deaf ears. And we must rescind this policy now. Take action: https://t.co/N007KUL5Pv – Bastian Lehmann ?? (@Basti) June 19, 2018
This was the propaganda video… Reprehensible. https://t.co/WX6W43FkUc – Alexis Ohanian ?? (@alexisohanian) June 18, 2018
Thank you @SenFeinstein ! Every single Senator from BOTH PARTIES must support this bill now! #Republicans who fail to stop the #disgraceful separation of children from their parents will be #shamed by #history . https://t.co/Nmjr3w9leY – Ron Conway (@RonConway) June 18, 2018
I'm deeply disappointed at White House policies that separate children from parents. No one wants illegal immigration, but cruelty to children is unethical and we cannot justify it as "deterrence." I am a proud immigrant, and have faith in the US to be better than this. – Andrew Ng (@AndrewYNg) June 19, 2018
I try to stay apolitical, because I believe strongly that photographers on @SmugMug & @Flickr should tell *their* stories, *their* way. We (and I) shouldn't be a part of that story. This is different. This is about kids! And families! 🙁 #FamiliesBelongTogther https://t.co/tM8roiSObb – Don MacAskill (@DonMacAskill) June 19, 2018
