Over 60 companies including IBM, Facebook, and Amazon joined the Coalition for the American Dream, which seeks protection for DREAMers and is pushing for a bipartisan solution to DACA. If Congress does not pass alternative legislation that allows DREAMers to remain in the United States, the government will shut down.
Up until now, bipartisan negotiations faltered, as a result of President Donald Trump’s dissatisfaction with what Democrats are offering in exchange for an immigration deal. DACA officially expires on March 5th, and when it does, DREAMers will lose their work permits and protection from deportation.
Regarding their decision to join the Coalition, Johnson & Johnson’s CEO Alex Gorsky penned, “We must continue to advance our culture of belonging, where our open hearts and minds combine to unleash the potential of the brilliant mix of people, in every corner of the world.”
The Coalition for the American Dream sent a letter to Congress earlier this month, signed by more than 100 prominent CEOs. It says, “In addition to causing a tremendous upheaval in the lives of DACA employees, failure to act in time will lead to businesses losing valuable talent, cause disruptions in the workforce, and will result in significant costs.”
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg added in a separate post on Wednesday that, “Every day that Congress doesn’t act, more DACA recipients are losing their status. From my conversations with leaders in Congress, I believe they want to fix this, but we need to keep the pressure on so they will know we’ll hold them accountable.”
IBM’S vice-president shared a story about how one sole DREAMer kept the Cloud’s services runnings after Hurricane Harvey knocked Houston’s power out. The employee worked remotely for 24 hours straight to accomplish this feat that helped tons of people.
“These are the kind of people we want at IBM,” Padilla stated. “They’re exceptionally dedicated. It’s why IBM has stood up to help them and standing up for what’s right.”
Walmart is also part of the movement and recently released a statement to CNNMoney, saying, “Walmart encourages Congress to work on a bipartisan solution that provides clarity to those involved and recognizes those who have strong ties to their communities and came to the U.S. in a way that was outside their control.”
“As a company, we have come to highly value many of these individuals as our customers and fellow associates. Any legislative solution needs to avoid disrupting families, our communities, and the economy.”
This article was inspired by CNN MONEY // America’s biggest businesses are standing by their Dreamer employees