After U.S. President Donald Trump ordered banning of citizens from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen, to enter the U.S., tech companies rally up against the decision by putting their money to help those people.
The search giant Google has set up one of its largest crisis campaign ever, with a $2 million crisis fund for people affected by the order. Employees of the company are matching up with that number in donations. The campaign was disclosed in a memo sent by Google CEO Sundar Pichai.
The grant comes after a day Pichai voiced his strong objections to Trump's controversial ban. Google's co-founder Sergey Brin has also participated in a protest at San Francisco International Airport.
The ride-sharing service Uber created a $3 million legal defense fund to help drivers on its platform from facing immigration issues. CEO Travis Kalanick also said that the company will provide round-the-clock legal support for drivers who are having trouble returning to the U.S. and compensate them for their lost earnings.
Uber's rival Lyft is also donating $1 million to bolster its fight against Trump's travel restrictions.
The money gathered aims to assist the efforts of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Immigrant Legal Resource Center, International Rescue Committee and Mercy Corps as they attempt to help immigrants and refugees after the travel ban was announced.
The non-profit noted that it has received tens of millions of dollars in donations from the public over the weekend, or about six times more that it normally received in an entire year.
Not just tech companies, several investors and leaders in their respective industry are also pledging their funds towards the ACLU over the past couple of days. They include Chris Sacca, Stripe’s Patrick Collison, Nest founder Tony Fadell and Slack CEO Stewart Butterfield.
Uber's Travis Kalanick and Tesla/SpaceX CEO Elon Musk that have been appointed as Trump's strategic advisors, have urged the President to reinstate the rights of all U.S. citizens.
Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky said that his travel accommodation company is aiming to provide free housings "to refugees and anyone not allowed in the U.S.."
The order by Trump is controversial since U.S. is seen as a nation of immigrants. For companies, his decision could greatly disrupt their businesses which rely heavily on foreign-born workers.
