'I stand with the Dreamers': Mark Zuckerberg and dozens of tech giants are urging Trump to protect immigrants covered by Obama-era policy
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Dozens of tech-industry titans are joining forces to urge President Donald Trump to maintain protections for undocumented immigrants who are covered by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
That program, better known by the acronym DACA, is an Obama-era policy that shields immigrants from deportation if they were brought to the US illegally as children.
Trump was expected to announce changes to DACA on Friday, ahead of a deadline by which 10 attorneys general threatened to sue over the program if Trump did not take action.
Executives from Apple, Google, Facebook, Microsoft and many others echoed other business leaders in their letter to Trump, saying "All DACA recipients grew up in America, registered with our government, submitted to extensive background checks, and are diligently giving back to our communities and paying income taxes." their joint letter read.
"Our economy would lose $460.3 billion from the national GDP and $24.6 billion in Social Security and Medicare tax contributions," if DACA recipients lose their protections and face deportation, the letter continued, calling dreamers "vital to the future of our companies and our economy."
(L to R) Jeff Bezos, chief executive officer of Amazon, Larry Page, chief executive officer of Alphabet Inc. (parent company of Google), Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer of Facebook, Vice President-elect Mike Pence listen as President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a meeting of technology executives at Trump Tower, December 14, 2016 in New York City. Drew Angerer/Getty Images
The letter was posted on FWD.us, a bipartisan organization backed by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and other top tech industry executives. Dozens of them have signed the letter, including Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, who wrote in a separate statement on Thursday: "DACA recipients bring a wide array of educational and professional backgrounds that enable them to contribute in crucial ways to our nationâs workforce."
Zuckerberg said in a Facebook post, "I stand with the Dreamers -- the young people brought to our country by their parents. Many have lived here as long as they can remember. Dreamers have a special love for this country because they can't take living here for granted."
Silicon Valley luminaries and corporate CEOs have increasingly leaned in on Trump recently. Several chief executives rebuked the president over his handling of the white nationalist Charlottesville protests that turned deadly on August 12.
Trump has previously wavered on his support for DACA, saying in February, "We are going to deal with DACA with heart," and calling the deliberations "very, very difficult."
