The tech world is reacting to moves by the Biden administration to bolster Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, with the heads of Google and Apple weighing in.
“We applaud @POTUS‘s quick action on COVID relief, the Paris Climate Accord, and immigration reform,” Google CEO Sundar Pichai said in a tweet Wednesday. “Google has supported action on these important issues & we look forward to working with the new administration to help the US recover from the pandemic + grow our economy.”
Earlier in January, Google said it would pay the application fees of more than 500 DACA applicants.
DACA, established under the Obama administration, grants protection from deportation to people brought to the US as children without documentation, and allows them to work. The Trump administration aimed to curtail the program in 2017.
Upon taking office Wednesday, President Joe Biden issued a series of executive orders, directives and memoranda, including a memorandum to “fortify and preserve” DACA. Other actions including rejoining the World Health Organization and the Paris climate agreement.
“We welcome President Biden’s commitment to pursuing comprehensive immigration reform that reflects the American values of justice, fairness and dignity. This effort will strengthen American communities and the pathways to opportunity this country has long fostered,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said Wednesday in a statement on behalf of the Business Roundtable Immigration Committee, which he chairs.