Amazon, Apple & Facebook back lawsuit challenging Trump’s suspension of work-visa programs

Legal trouble seems to be mounting for the Trump administration after tech-giants Amazon, Apple, and Facebook joined forces to back the lawsuit against US President Donald Trump's revised visa rules for nonimmigrant workers alleging that the move 'hurts the country and the economy.' 

The companies came together to file the brief in federal court on Monday extending support to the suit of the US Chamber of Commerce and trade groups against Trump's June proclamation where he halted visas for various categories of guest workers including the skilled talent which is actively sought by these tech firms. The suspension of the non-immigrant visa programs including the H1-B visa is being seen as a huge blow to the tech firms who relied on the programs to recruit and employ tech geniuses and engineers. Others joining the petition included Microsoft, Twitter, Uber, and several trade groups. 

"The president's suspension of nonimmigrant visa programs, supposedly to 'protect' American workers, actually harms those workers, their employers, and the economy," said the brief by Facebook, Apple and Amazon, as reported by agency sources. 

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The suspension is said to last till the end of this year, however, the Trump administration has added that it may be extended as long as necessary in order to make more jobs available to American citizens amid the soaring rates of unemployment owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The brief, however, argued that the suspension of the visa programs will "stifle innovation, hinder growth, and ultimately harm US workers, businesses, and the economy more broadly in irreparable ways." Calling the move "Un-American", the suit also added that the move came at a wrong time, especially with global competitors aggressively updating their immigration systems to attract skilled workers, to boost their economies.  

Last month, American technology giants including Google, Facebook and Microsoft joined hands for a lawsuit against the new visa law for international students. The new directive that bars foreign students from staying in the United States if they fail to attend at least one in-person course has caused a stir among many firms. 

(With Agency Inputs)

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