Facebook boss, Zuckerberg, others slams Trump over immigration order

Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg, has taken a swipe at United States President, Mr Donald Trump’s recent immigration order, describing it as “a harsh executive order against immigrants.”

In a lengthy note on the matter, posted on his personal profile page, Zuckerberg expressed concern over the long-term implications that the Trump’s new Executive Orders will have on the United States.

He reminded Trump that he and his wife are the products of immigrants.

He said: “Like many of you, I’m concerned about the impact of the recent executive orders signed by President Trump. We need to keep this country safe, but we should do that by focusing on people who actually pose a threat. Expanding the focus of law enforcement beyond people who are real threats would make all Americans less safe by diverting resources, while millions of undocumented folks who don’t pose a threat will live in fear of deportation.“We should also keep our doors open to refugees and those who need help. That’s who we are. Had we turned away refugees a few decades ago, Priscilla’s family wouldn’t be here today.

“We are a nation of immigrants and we all benefit when the best and brightest from around the world can live, work and contribute here. I hope we find the courage and compassion to bring people together and make this world a better place for everyone.” he added

Tech coys panic

Meanwhile, the immigration order has jolted major players in the US ICT sector, who are now doing hasty adjustments to their offerings after lashing out on the policy.

Last weekend, Google CEO Sundar Pichai sent a heartfelt email to Google employees, crying out that up to 187 Google employees may be affected by the aforementioned travel ban.  Pichai added that the search giant will do any and everything in its power to help them.

“We’re upset about the impact of this order and any proposal that could impose restrictions on Googlers and their families or that could create barriers to bringing great talent to the US. It’s painful to see the personal cost of this Executive Order on our colleagues,” he added.

Also, Apple CEO Tim Cook expressed similar concern regarding Trump’s immigration policies, saying that it’s worth noting that Apple co-founder Steve Jobs was himself the son of a Syrian immigrant.

In his letter to his team, Cook said: “In my conversations with officials here in Washington this week, I’ve made it clear that Apple believes deeply in the importance of immigration both to our company and to our nation’s future.”

Apple would not exist without immigration, let alone thrive and innovate the way we do.

“I’ve heard from many of you who are deeply concerned about the Executive Order restricting immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries. I share your concerns. It is not a policy we support.

“There are employees at Apple who are directly affected by the immigration order. Our HR, Legal and Security teams are in contact with them and Apple will do everything we can to support them. We’re providing resources on AppleWeb for anyone with questions or concerns about immigration policies. And we have reached out to the White House to explain the negative effect on our co-workers and our company.”

The implication of the order is that Apple, for instance is allegedly removing apps made by developers and start-ups based in Iran from the App Store.

Apple previously opened up the App Store, Dihikala to Iranians in September last year but unconfirmed reports now indicate that the app was removed from the App Store a few days back.

The App store was one of the biggest e-commerce services in Iran with millions of users.

Meanwhile, other tech companies taking a stand, Lyft has promised to donate $1 million to the ACLU to help them fight on behalf of refugees.

“Banning people of a particular faith or creed, race or identity, sexuality or ethnicity, from entering the U.S. is antithetical to both Lyft’s and our nation’s core values.

“We stand firmly against these actions and will not be silent on issues that threaten the values of our community,” Lyft said.

In a similar vein, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings in its Facebook reaction characterized Trump’s immigration plan as patently un-American.

“Trump’s actions are hurting Netflix employees around the world and are so un-American it pains us all. Worse, these actions will make America less safe rather than safer.

“It’s a very sad week and more to come, with the lives of over 600,000 dreamers here in America under imminent threat. It is time to link arms together to protect American values of freedom and opportunity,” it added.