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Tech companies are joining forces with the Washington state government to fight against Donald Trump’s recent immigration-related executive order. Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson filed a lawsuit today against Trump’s order, which bars legal immigrants and refugees from seven majority-Muslim countries from entering the US and bans Syrian refugees indefinitely.
Now, at least three tech companies — Microsoft, Amazon, and Expedia — are joining that legal fight. A Microsoft spokesman told Reuters that the company is providing information about the effect of the order in order to "be supportive." They also would "be happy to testify further if needed."
Microsoft, Amazon, and Expedia are all based in the Seattle, Washington area
Both Amazon and Expedia are also preparing statements that demonstrate the order’s negative impact on their business. In an email to employees, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos wrote that the company’s legal team "has prepared a declaration of support for the Washington State Attorney General who will be filing suit against the order." They are considering other legal options, as well. Expedia hasn’t publicly released its statement but Ferguson cited the company’s help in a press release.
The lawsuit will attempt to prove the immigration ban is unconstitutional and that the actions it spurs are "separating Washington families, harming thousands of Washington residents, damaging Washington’s economy, hurting Washington-based companies, and undermining Washington’s sovereign interest in remaining a welcoming place for immigrants and refugees."
Other tech company executives, ranging from Tesla CEO Elon Musk to Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg, have spoken out against the order. Yet only Amazon, Microsoft, and Expedia — all of which are based in the Seattle area in Washington — are in a position to support this particular legal challenge to the immigration ban, at least until more lawsuits begin popping up around the country.
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