Amazon too turns against Trump’s order on immigration

New York, Jan 31 (IANS) Joining the battle against the US President Donald Trump's executive order banning immigrants from seven Muslim-majority countries, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has said that the company does not support the order.

According to a report in The Verge, Bezos reacted to Trump's executive order in an internal mail to employees.

"This executive order is one we do not support. Our public policy team in Washington 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," Bezos said in a statement late on Monday.

Bezos added that Amazon's legal team had prepared a declaration of support for the Washington State Attorney General who would be filing suit against the order and that they were 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," the statement added.

Bezos assured his employees in the US and around the world who may be directly affected by this order that the full extent of Amazon's resources were behind them.

According to media reports, Microsoft and Expedia are also part of the chorus of voices speaking against Trump's executive order.

Earlier, Google's India-born Chief Executive Sundar Pichai critcised the executive order, suggesting that the ban could affect at least 187 Google employees as the Internet search giant ordered its travelling staff to return to the United States.

"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," The Wall Street Journal quoted Pichai as saying in an e-mail to staff.

"It's painful to see the personal cost of this executive order on our colleagues," he added.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg also expressed his concern over the order. "We need to keep this country safe, but we should do that by focusing on people who actually pose a threat," he wrote on his Facebook page.