Immigrants Remain Core to the U.S.’ Strength

By its very design the internet has accelerated the sharing of ideas and information across borders, languages, cultures and time zones. Despite the awesome reach and power of what the web has enabled, there is still no substitute for the chemistry that happens when human beings of different backgrounds and experiences come together to live and work in the same community.

Immigration brings a wealth of diverse viewpoints, drives innovation and creative thinking, and is central to building the internet into a global public resource that is open and accessible to all.

This is why the current U.S. administration's recent actions are so troubling. On June 22, 2020 President Donald Trump issued an Executive Order suspending entry of immigrants under the premise that they present a risk to the United States' labor market recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. This decision will likely have far-reaching and unintended consequences for industries like Mozilla's and throughout the country.

Technology companies, including Mozilla, rely on brilliant minds from around the globe. This mix of people and ideas has generated significant technological advances that currently fuel our global economy and will undoubtedly be essential for future economic recovery and growth.

This is also why we're eager to see lawmakers create a permanent solution for (DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals). We hope that in light of the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling, the White House does not continue to pursue plans to end the program that currently protects about 700,000 young immigrants known as Dreamers from deportation. These young people were brought to the U.S. as minors, and raised and educated here. We've made this point before, but it bears repeating: Breaking the promise made to these young people and preventing these future leaders from having a legal pathway to citizenship is short-sighted and morally wrong. We owe it to them and to the country to give them every opportunity to succeed here in the U.S.

Immigrants have been a core part of the United States' strength since its inception. A global pandemic hasn't changed that. At a time when the United States is grappling with how to make right so many of the wrongs of its past, the country can't afford to double down on policies that shut out diverse voices and contributions of people from around the world. As they have throughout the country's history, our immigrant family members, friends, neighbors and colleagues must be allowed to continue playing a vital role in moving the U.S. forward.

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