Tech Giants Back Immigrants In Upcoming Supreme Court Fight

More than 60 tech leaders, including Mark Zuckerberg and Reid Hoffman, have told the US Supreme Court they support President Obama’s recent executive actions on immigration.
The group, which also includes PayPal co-founder Max Levchin and venture capitalist Ron Conway, co-signed a friend-of-the-court brief filed today, roughly a month before the Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments in United States v. Texas. The case will decide the fate of two so-called “deferred action” programs the President proposed in late November 2014, which would prevent undocumented immigrants who came to the United States as children from being deported, as well as adults whose children are lawful residents of the United States.

Candidates have argued that immigrants are a drain on the US economy. Zuckerberg and his crew are arguing just the opposite.

“Instead of inviting the economic contributions of immigrants, our immigration enforcement policies have often inhibited the productivity of US companies and made it harder for them to compete in the global marketplace,” the brief reads. “America’s immigration enforcement policies should ensure that immigrants’ ingenuity, skills, and entrepreneurial spirit are contributing to the US economy—and deferred action policies are a helpful start.”
The two programs at issue—Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, and Deferred Action for Parental Accountability, or DAPA—have been opposed by several states. Last February, one federal judge in Texas issued a preliminary injunction against the President’s orders. The Supreme Court case is the US Justice Department’s attempt to appeal this injunction and allow the programs proceed.

The Economic Impact

Now, the tech industry, ever-eager to hire overseas talent, is throwing its weight behind immigration legislation. Zuckerberg’s group, FWD.us, is leading this effort, and was the convening power behind the amicus brief. In a statement, FWD.us president Todd Schulte said, “Entrepreneurs and business leaders across the country support the President’s executive actions, because they know that these critical policy changes will boost our economy and create American jobs.”
For the tech industry, being a vocal player in the comprehensive immigration reform movement is critical. While the industry is most interested in expanding the number of H-1B visas for high skilled workers, leaders like Zuckerberg know there is power in numbers, and the numbers exist in the broader immigration movement.
Which is why FWD.us has committed to spend as much as $10 million on immigration reform ad campaigns during the 2016 election cycle, an investment largely driven by the vitriolic language about immigration that has defined this election season. While candidates, Donald Trump in particular, have argued that immigrants, both documented and undocumented, are a drain on the US economy, Zuckerberg and his crew are arguing just the opposite.
“Indeed, the United States has long benefited from the entrepreneurship and innovation of immigrants— including undocumented immigrants,” the brief reads. “By contrast, the continuing threat of removal and other uncertainties facing undocumented individuals weaken our economy.”