Technology
Big Tech companies back lawsuit against ICE student visa policy
Tech companies including Google, Facebook and others just lent their legal might to a lawsuit against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
On July 9, Harvard and M.I.T. filed a legal complaint against ICE and the Department of Homeland Security challenging the legality of the government’s July 6 policy update that would require international students to leave the country if they are enrolled in a college or university that’s conducting classes online.
Monday, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, along with multiple Big Tech companies and trade associations, filed an “amicus brief,” or a legal letter that provides support and additional arguments on the side of one of the parties in a lawsuit. In this case, Big Tech is siding with Higher Ed.
There are 19 “amici curiae,” or signatories, of the brief. Household name tech companies in addition to Google and Facebook include Adobe Systems, Box, Dropbox, Github, LinkedIn, Microsoft, PayPal, SalesForce, Spotify, and Twitter. Protocol first reported the brief.
The basis of Harvard and MIT’s suit is that the government violated administrative procedure in a way that is “arbitrary and capricious.” The amicae add that the decision would hurt businesses and the U.S. economy, which the government is required to consider before it makes a policy change.
It argues that jeopardizing international students’ ability to study in the United States would impact the companies’ customers, as well as their future employees, in a way that would hurt American business longterm.
“Without international students, American educational institutions face a sudden loss of critical mass—jeopardizing their ability to maintain their standards of excellence; produce research that helps keep U.S. businesses on the cutting edge of innovation; and provide the training that makes American students a strong talent pool for their future employers,” the brief reads.
Silicon Valley stood up for immigrants and visa holders during the Trump administration’s 2017 ‘Muslim Ban.’ If not just for humanitarian and common sense compassion reasons, the support makes sense for Big Tech business, too. According to the 2016 census, 71 percent of Silicon Valley tech workers are immigrants.
You can read the full amicus brief here or embedded below.
-
Business7 days ago
Bluesky launches Ozone, a tool that lets users create and run their own independent moderation services
-
Entertainment6 days ago
‘The Gutter’ review: The right kind of stupid
-
Entertainment7 days ago
What’s going on with Boeing planes? Safety concerns prompt flyers to change their flights.
-
Entertainment5 days ago
SpaceX’s Starship just had fantastic firsts for spaceflight
-
Entertainment7 days ago
‘Manipulated’ photo of Kate Middleton pulled by media agencies. Why?
-
Entertainment4 days ago
‘The American Society of Magical Negroes’ review: A satirical near-miss
-
Business6 days ago
Paramount Global to sell stake in India’s Viacom18 to Reliance for over $500M
-
Entertainment5 days ago
‘Grand Theft Hamlet’ review: ‘Grand Theft Auto’ meets Shakespeare in this video game documentary