Google pledges $4 million to support US immigration organizations

In response to President Trump’s executive order that suspends the admission of refugees into the US, and temporarily bans people from seven Muslim-majority nations, Google has pledged $4 million in support immigrant organizations.

According to USA Today, the money would be donated to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC), the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees / UN Refugee Agency (UNHR).

Half of the $4 million figure is being donated by Google employees, with the other half being matched by the company itself. Google also noted that it had donated more than $16 million to humanitarian causes since 2015, but that this would be its largest single sum.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai has already voiced his opposition the immigration ban — which is said to directly affect more than 100 Google staff — and the company’s co-founder Sergey Brin took part in a protest at San Francisco International Airport on Saturday evening.

Google joins a growing list of tech companies speaking out about the order, which was passed on Friday, including staff from Netflix, Apple, Twitter, Microsoft, Slack, Uber, Lyft, AirBnB and Mozilla, some of which have pledged millions of dollars in support of those negatively impacted by the move.

The suspension of the US Refugee Admissions Programme is said to last for 120 days, while those from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen face a 90-day visa suspension. Syrian refugees have been banned indefinitely.

Where do you stand on the executive order and the tech industry’s response? Let us know in the comments.