DACA recipients or “Dreamers” have received support for their cause from an unexpected source. Marketwatch reports that Apple CEO Tim Cook has filed a friend-of-the-court brief with the Supreme Court urging the Justices to uphold the immigration law that protects the immigration status of those who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children.
In 2017, the Trump Administration announced that it would end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals or DACA program. The ending of the program would mean that hundreds of thousands of young immigrants could be deported and be sent back to their country of origin. For many, living in the United States is all that they remember.
According to the court document filed by Tim Cook and Apple’s Chief of Human Resources, Deidre O’Brien, the innovative tech company currently has some 443 “Dreamers” from 25 separate countries who work for Apple. For the company, the occupants of the E-Suite believes that this handful of workers, “…spark creativity and help drive innovation.” Cook and O’Brien went on to describe these workers as being some of Apples, “most driven and selfless colleagues.”
For Apple’s trademarked strategy and innovation, it’s the diversity of backgrounds and perspectives, their ability to overcome adversity, and determination that these workers offer that helps the company maintain its status in the marketplace. These same characteristics are not just what the company needs but also, according to the brief, what our society needs.
Cook and O’Brien also pointed out in their brief that the father of Apple founder, Steve Jobs, immigrated from Syria. “Apple would quite literally not exist without a brilliant and driven population of Immigrants,” they wrote.
Cook and Apple are not alone in their support of upholding DACA. Other tech companies that have been vocal in their support of protecting young immigrants include Microsoft, Facebook, and Amazon.
The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments regarding the decision to end DACA in November. The Supreme Court is due to render its decision on DACA by June of 2020.