Tim Cook, Dreamers, DACA, and a Bad Game of Chicken

Apple CEO Tim Cook has reaffirmed his support for an important immigration policy. This comes on the heels of the United States administration ringing the program’s death knell. US Attorney General Jeff Sessions recently confirmed the President will soon disband the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. That is, of course, barring action by Congress to make the policy permanent over the next six months. Cook wrote that he’s “deeply dismayed” by the decision.

The Statue of Liberty, once a welcoming beacon of hope to immigrants, doesn’t mean what she once did (Image Credit: Free-Photos)

What’s the Deal With DACA?

DACA is an Obama-era policy that provides protections for some illegal immigrants to defer being deported. In essence, it allows people who arrived in the United States illegally as children a chance to avoid deportation.

The program allows certain people to receive a renewable two-year period of deferred action from deportation. It also makes them eligible to apply for a work permit. Apple has announced that it employs at least 250 such workers, called “Dreamers.”

The policy came after multiple failed attempts to pass the DREAM Act through Congress. The DREAM Act would have made radical changes to US immigration law itself. Effectively, the legislation would have enacted DACA without the need for then-President Obama’s executive order.

Now that President Donald Trump is in office, things are different. The nation’s leader is trying to make new, more restrictive changes to immigration law and policy. For some reason, he’s latched onto DACA and wants to end the program, unless Congress makes it permanent.

Mr. Cook’s Response to the White House

The Dreamers are an important part of many aspects of the workforce, Mr. Cook points out. Mr. Cook has heard from many such employees, from all aspects of Cupertino’s worldwide operations.

They help customers in our retail stores. They engineer the products people love and they’re building Apple’s future as part of our R&D teams. They contribute to our company, our economy and our communities just as much as you and I do. Their dreams are our dreams.

Mr. Cook points out his understandable dismay. After all, nearly 800,000 Americans “may soon find themselves cast out of the only country they’ve ever called home”. These young men and women often arrived on American soil at such a young age they cannot remember their native lands.

It’s not as if these residents are causing the problems many say illegal immigration poses for America, as Mr. Cook points out. They have to undergo rigorous background investigations, and many have earned university educations here on their journey to achieve their dreams.

Playing Chicken With People’s Lives

Mr. Cook doesn’t say this outright, but it really boils down to President Trump playing chicken with people’s lives. Maybe he just wants to prod Congress into cleaning up the mess that is our current set of immigration laws, but I agree with Mr. Cook that this isn’t the way to do it.

President Trump has, in essence, fired a warning shot across Congress’s bow. “Figure out this law, or I’ll kick out 800,000 taxpayers,” President Trump is effectively telling our legislative body. Apple’s CEO doesn’t agree with that gesture, and is pledging full support for all of America’s Dreamers, not just the ones who work for the tech giant.

Mr. Cook vowed in his memo to “work with members of Congress from both parties to advocate for a legislative solution that provides permanent protections for all the Dreamers in our country.”

There is hope, Mr. Cook says in closing, and he is confident that “American values will prevail.” I hope he’s right, and that Congress doesn’t flinch during this devastating game of chicken.

The Full Text of Mr. Cook’s Memo

If you wish, read the full text of Mr. Cook’s memorandum to Apple’s employees below.

Team,

America promises all its people the opportunity to achieve their dreams through hard work and perseverance. At Apple, we’ve dedicated ourselves to creating products that empower those dreams. And at our best, we aspire to be part of the promise that defines America.

Earlier today, the Justice Department announced that President Trump will cancel the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program in six months if Congress does not act to make the program permanent.

I am deeply dismayed that 800,000 Americans — including more than 250 of our Apple coworkers — may soon find themselves cast out of the only country they’ve ever called home.

DACA recognizes that people who arrived in the United States as children should not be punished for being here illegally. It lets these Americans, who have successfully completed rigorous background investigations, go to school, earn a living, support their families, pay taxes and work toward achieving their dreams like the rest of us. They are called Dreamers, and regardless of where they were born, they deserve our respect as equals.

I’ve received several notes over the weekend from Dreamers within Apple. Some told me they came to the U.S. as young as two years old, while others recounted they don’t even remember a time they were not in this country.

Dreamers who work at Apple may have been born in Canada or Mexico, Kenya or Mongolia, but America is the only home they’ve ever known. They grew up in our cities and towns, and hold degrees from colleges across the country. They now work for Apple in 28 states.

They help customers in our retail stores. They engineer the products people love and they’re building Apple’s future as part of our R&D teams. They contribute to our company, our economy and our communities just as much as you and I do. Their dreams are our dreams.

I want to assure you that Apple will work with members of Congress from both parties to advocate for a legislative solution that provides permanent protections for all the Dreamers in our country.

We are also working closely with each of our co-workers to provide them and their families the support they need, including the advice of immigration experts.

On behalf of the hundreds of employees at Apple whose futures are at stake; on behalf of their colleagues and on behalf of the millions more across America who believe, as we do, in the power of dreams, we issue an urgent plea for our leaders in Washington to protect the Dreamers so their futures can never be put at risk in this way again.

Despite this setback for our nation, I’m confident that American values will prevail and we will continue our tradition of welcoming immigrants from all nations. I’ll do whatever I can to assure this outcome.

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