Trump’s ever-evolving policy on immigration is a hot button issue. In a nation arguably more divided than at any point since the Civil War, talking points surrounding the deportation of immigrants, banning muslim entry, and building a giant wall to replace a wall that most don’t seem to realize already exists.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg spoke openly (in a Facebook post) about the issue today:
Like many of you, I’m concerned about the impact of the recent executive orders signed by President Trump.
We need to keep this country safe, but we should do that by focusing on people who actually pose a threat. Expanding the focus of law enforcement beyond people who are real threats would make all Americans less safe by diverting resources, while millions of undocumented folks who don’t pose a threat will live in fear of deportation.
We should also keep our doors open to refugees and those who need help. That’s who we are. Had we turned away refugees a few decades ago, Priscilla’s family wouldn’t be here today.
Zuckerberg echoed the sentiment of millions of American’s that the United States is a country strengthened by diversity, not one that should be divided because of it. He then proceeded to serve up an anecdote about his time spent teaching a class of middle schoolers where some of his best students were undocumented.
The path forward, as Zuckerberg says, is to “find the courage and compassion to bring people together and make this world a better place for everyone.”
And he’s right.
The code written by thousands of Asian, Latino, European, and Middle-Eastern immigrants serves as the backbone of the very platforms we rely on today. Had these men and women not been granted entry into the country, not been able to sit alongside native-born American’s to write complex strings of 1’s and 0’s, the tech landscape as we know it ceases to exist.
Let’s just hope it continues to exist.
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