At the cross-section of business and immigration
On March 7, 2016, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was among 63 business leaders to sign an amicus brief supporting President Obama’s executive orders attempting to provide temporary protection to illegal immigrants and their families.
The executive orders, called the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), would temporarily offer undocumented workers protection from deportation. Moreover, the orders would allow undocumented workers to seek work legally. In a nutshell, they could live and work like real American citizens, until either their citizenship or the legislation can be rectified.
However, President Obama’s move has been challenged in the Supreme Court. Known as the United States vs. Texas case, and set in the backdrop of the U.S. presidential election, the court case is set to add yet another dimension to America’s current political controversy.
Texas is among 26 states challenging the executive orders.
The Supreme Court case, which will begin in April, addresses whether or not President Obama has the authority to implement DAPA and DACA without approval from Congress.
As it stands, approximately five million undocumented workers living in the U.S. currently face the threat of being deported at any moment—not to mention the struggle to find work and provide for their families.
The brief argues that current policies on immigration block undocumented immigrants from work and education, ultimately showcasing that current legislation (rather than the people themselves) is detrimental to the U.S. economy.
Also included in the brief is a collection of articles chronicling the economic and socio-economic problems created by current immigration policy. These articles have been published in Time magazine, the Washington Post, and several academic institutions and news outlets.
“I hope we find the compassion and courage to give everyone a fair shot, to treat everyone with respect and dignity, and do what we can to make this world better for all people—not just people who look like us or live near us,” said Mark Zuckerberg, CEO and founder of Facebook, in a March 8, 2016 Facebook post.
Among the companies who signed the brief are LinkedIn CEO Reid Hoffman, real estate brokerage company Redfin Corporation, and Mitú Network—a tech-media company at the forefront of Latino youth culture.
Although Zuckerberg is perhaps the most well-known business figure to endorse the proposed legislation, other actions have been taken to show solidarity with President Obama’s move.
Fwd.Us, a U.S.-based non-profit group lobbying for American immigration reform, was created in 2013 by 15 prominent business leaders. Zuckerberg and Microsoft-founder Bill Gates are among them, as well as Ruchi Sanghvi, Facebook’s first female engineer.
“Expanding DACA and implementing DAPA would ensure that the nearly five million undocumented immigrants who are already contributing to our economy and our communities can come out of the shadows and live free from the fear of deportation,” the group’s president Todd Schulte stated in a March 8, 2016 interview with Fusion magazine. “[Entrepreneurs and business leaders] know that these critical policy changes will boost our economy and create American jobs,” said Schulte.
Aside from the brief involving Zuckerberg, a separate brief has been signed by 118 mayors across the U.S., including New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. This brief encourages the Supreme Court to rule in favour of implementing DACA and DAPA.
Apart from the issue of immigration itself, many skeptics are challenging President Obama’s attempt to catapult legislation into the U.S. Supreme Court, which reaches beyond the power traditionally held by the U.S. president.
Other criticisms of President Obama’s executive actions cite that many of these large technology companies have relied on foreign-born workers who will likely have been paid less than their American counterparts.
“We are a nation of immigrants. We are one world. And we are all connected,” said Zuckerberg in his post. “We must have the humanity to welcome in these children and to bring people together—and that’s what we told the Supreme Court today.”