President Donald Trump’s travel ban has sparked a global outrage. The “extreme vetting” promised by Trump throughout his presidential campaign now restricts refugees and immigrants from 7 predominantly Muslim nations (Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Yemen and Somalia) from entering the United States. The recent ban promises to have long term consequences for companies and their employees. Seeing as seven of the world’s largest companies were made entirely possible by immigrants, the response from these global employers shows anything but support to Mr. Trump.
Since the implication of the travel ban, a large number of companies have issued statements in opposition of Trump’s executive order. One of the companies at the forefront of this is Amazon. CEO of Amazon Jeff Bezos wrote in an email sent to all employees, “We are a nation of immigrants whose diverse backgrounds, ideas and points of view have helped us build and invent as a nation for over 240 years”. Further contributing to Bezos’ statement is Beth Galetti, the company’s vice president of human resources, who is now telling employees working or living in the United States to refrain from international travel if they might be prevented from re-entering the country due to the new restrictions.
The general reaction amongst nearly all major corporations mirrors that of Amazon. The discrimination being demonstrated by Trump goes largely against the values and standards that these enterprises hold. CEO Muhar Kent of Coca-Cola recently stated to Bloomberg: “Coca-Cola is resolute in its commitment to diversity, fairness and inclusion, and we do not support this travel ban or any policy that is contrary to our core values and beliefs”. These companies are not just expressing their opinions on the ban but are taking direct action against Trump and to protect their employees. Following Amazon’s promise to support the lawsuit being prepared by the Washington State attorney general, Google has recently announced a $4 million fund to help those affected by the immigration order. CEO Brian Moynihan of Bank of America said in a memo to employees, “We are working to ensure we have the most accurate and timely information to best assist potentially impacted teammates”.
The revolt against Trump’s implication has only just begun and is rapidly gaining support. The upset expressed is a direct display that the strong values and beliefs held by major corporations will not be abandoned to conform to inhumane political demands.
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http://fortune.com/2017/01/31/donald-trump-immigration-ban-responses/
http://fortune.com/2017/01/30/amazons-jeff-bezos-weighs-in-against-trump-travel-ban/