Apple CEO Considering Legal Action To Combat Trump’s Immigration Restrictions

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By Eric Lieberman

Apple is mulling over whether to pursue legal action to try to overrule the Trump administration’s executive orders restricting immigration.

CEO Tim Cook said that he is in constant contact with “very, very senior people in the White House” because he wants to convince the administration that reversing the executive orders would not only be good for Apple, but for the country in general, reports The Wall Street Journal.

Apple submitted 4,639 “labor condition applications” for H1B visas and 2,096 “labor certifications” for a green card from fiscal year 2014 to 2016, according to Myvisajobs.com.

The California-based tech company had 66,000 employees in the U.S. as of 2014, according to its own records.

“More than any country in the world, this country is strong because of our immigrant background and our capacity and ability as people to welcome people from all kinds of backgrounds,” Cook said, according to The WSJ. “That’s what makes us special. We ought to pause and really think deeply through that.”

Cook’s most recent comments were supplementary, since he previously sent a letter to employees clarifying his and the company’s position on immigration.

“Apple would not exist without immigration, let alone thrive and innovate the way we do,” Cook wrote, according to The Verge. “Apple is open. Open to everyone, no matter where they come from, which language they speak, who they love or how they worship.”

He met with President Donald Trump in December with a number of other tech executives like Eric Schmidt from Google parent company Alphabet and Jeff Bezos of Amazon. (RELATED: Tim Cook Statement On Trump Meeting Mirrors The Election Cycle)

Bezos said that he is considering exploring “other legal options” in response to Trump’s temporary immigration ban. (RELATED: Ivanka And Jared Had Dinner With Apple CEO, Clinton Foundation Board Member)

In fact, Apple is certainly not alone, since a consortium of tech companies and their leaders were expected to meet Tuesday to discuss how to combat Trump’s new policy, with the prospect of filing or supporting lawsuits challenging the restrictions. (RELATED: Immigrant-Rich Tech Industry Responds To Trump’s Immigration Ban)

The city attorney of San Francisco, an area home to much of the tech industry in the U.S. and a large portion of the tech hub Silicon Valley, filed a federal lawsuit against Trump on Tuesday, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

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