Microsoft's CEO is again standing up to Trump on immigration

August 31, 2017

Microsoft's CEO is again standing up to Trump on immigration

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella took to LinkedIn on Thursday to stand up for the DREAMers — undocumented immigrants who arrived in the United States as children.

With President Trump reportedly considering ending an Obama-era program that protected such immigrants from deportation, Nadella defended "smart immigration" policies, saying they can "help our economic growth and global competitiveness."

"We care deeply about the DREAMers who work at Microsoft and fully support them. We will always stand for diversity and economic opportunity for everyone," he wrote.

Nadella also discussed his own immigration story. As a child, he was inspired by the "ingenuity of American technology." Later, he was able to come to the US to pursue his dreams thanks to the country's then-welcoming immigration polices.

"This is the America that I know and of which I am a proud citizen," he wrote. "This is the America that I love and that my family and I call home. And this is the America that I will always advocate for."

Nadella's note followed a post on Microsoft's official blog by Brad Smith, the company's president. Microsoft is "deeply concerned" at the prospect of Trump ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which protects DREAMers, Smith wrote, noting that the move would affect 27 company employees. Over the next decade, the program's end could cost the American economy $460 billion in lost gross domestic product, and could mean $24.6 billion less in contributions to Social Security and Medicare, he said, citing unnamed studies.

"DACA recipients bring a wide array of educational and professional backgrounds that enable them to contribute in crucial ways to our nation’s workforce," he wrote.

This isn't the first time Microsoft officials have raised their voices to oppose Trump's immigration policies. The company and Nadella also issued a statement when Trump announced his plan to ban immigration from seven predominantly Muslim countries. Earlier this year, Nadella spoke at the White House, talking about his path to the American dream and advocating for diversity and opportunity for all.

You can read Nadella's full statement here.

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