Google – one of the world’s most valuable companies – has criticized Donald Trump for the recent executive order on immigration. Google swiftly responded to the executive order and recalled travelling staff members to the United States. The executive order prohibits entry by people from seven nations – Syria, Iraq, Iran, Sudan, Somalia, Yemen, and Libya – for 90 days.
Google recalls staff to the United States
Some Google employees, who were travelling abroad, were trying to get back to the United States before the order took effect. About 187 Google employees have been affected by the ban and Google is already working on recalling its staff to the US. CEO of Google, Sundar Pichai, slammed the effects of the executive order on Google Staff and sent a memo to employees. “We’re upset about the impact of this order and any proposals 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.”
After the Department of Homeland Security issued a directive ordering the Customs and Border Control agency to enforce the executive order, some visa and green-card holders were prohibited from boarding flights to the US.
Silicon Valley spooked
Silicon Valley supported Hillary Clinton and expected her to win. Donald Trump’s immigration ban has literally spooked tech giants like Google and Facebook. Mark Zuckerberg also expressed his disappointment – “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.”
Google is firm on its views and wants to make its views known to leaders in Washington. “We’re concerned about the impact of this order and any proposals that could impose restrictions on Googlers and their families, or that could create barriers to bringing great talent to the US. We’ll continue to make our views on these issues known to leaders in Washington and elsewhere”, Google spokesperson added.