Echoing what has by and large become the tone of the US tech community, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has now come out — and rather strongly — against US Prez Donald Trump’s executive order banning immigration from seven specific countries, on grounds of “preventing terrorism”.
While Amazon had already conveyed its views, when company’s HR VP Beth Galetti sent out an email to employees, detailing the company stand and further steps, this is the first time Bezos himself has written an open email regarding the already tense issue.
In an email sent to employees, Jeff Bezos writes,
A quick update on where we are. This executive order is one we do not support. Our public policy team in D.C. has reached out to senior administration officials to make our opposition clear. We’ve also reached out to congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle to explore legislative options. Our legal team has prepared a declaration of support for the Washington State Attorney General who will be filing suit against the order. We are working other legal options as well.
We’re 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. No nation is better at harnessing the energies and talents of immigrants. It’s a distinctive competitive advantage for our country—one we should not weaken.
To our employees in the U.S. and around the world who may be directly affected by this order, I want you to know that the full extent of Amazon’s resources are behind you.
Thank you,
Jeff
Apart from this, Microsoft, Amazon and a host of other companies have already declared their support for a lawsuit by Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson, against the immigration ban and for declaring the same as illegit and asking for a stay.
This however, as you’d remember if you have been following Trump’s relation with the tech community closely, isn’t the first time Amazon CEO has come out against Trump. Prior to his election as the US President, Jeff Bezos had publicly criticized Trump and his policies. However, he had later termed his roundtable meeting with tech leaders, “very productive”.
FYR, here’s the full email sent by Amazon HR VP Beth Galetti,
From: Galetti, Beth
Sent: Saturday, January 28, 2017
Subject: Advisory—New Executive Order’s Potential Impact on Amazon EmployeesAs you may have seen in the news, the administration issued an executive order yesterday that restricts entry into the United States by foreign nationals who were born in, or are citizens of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen, even if you hold dual citizenship with another country, US permanent residence status or a valid US work visa. US citizens are not impacted by this restriction, which will be in effect for an initial period of 90 days, and may be extended or expanded.
From the very beginning, Amazon has been committed to equal rights, tolerance and diversity—and we always will be. As we’ve grown the company, we’ve worked hard to attract talented people from all over the world, and we believe this is one of the things that makes Amazon great—a diverse workforce helps us build better products for customers.
Our immediate focus is to make sure you all have the information you need to make travel decisions in the coming days and weeks. Here’s what you need to do now if you are a citizen of any of the countries listed in the order:
- If you currently reside and/or work in the US and are present in the US today, we recommend that you refrain from travel outside of the US until further notice as you may be denied re-entry to the US for the duration of the entry restrictions;
- If you currently work/reside in the US (as a green card holder or on a valid work visa such as an H, L, E, or TN) but are traveling abroad, please contact amazonimmigration@amazon.com. We are working on contingency plans for these employees and will be communicating with them directly;
- If you work for Amazon in another country (and are a citizen of any of the countries listed above) and have current plans to visit the US for business or personal reasons, we advise you to cancel them until the entry restrictions are lifted.
We are committed to supporting all of our employees and anyone in their immediate family who may be impacted by this order, including assistance with legal counsel and support, and will continue to monitor any developments.
Thanks,
Beth
