Google creates its biggest ever crisis fund following Trump ban

PanARMENIAN.Net - Google has created a $2 million crisis fund that can be matched with up to $2 million in donations from employees, totaling $4 million, for four organizations: the American Civil Liberties Union, Immigrant Legal Resource Center, International Rescue Committee and UNHCR. It is Google's largest crisis campaign ever, USA Today reports.

Separately, company executives are also giving money individually to the cause.

The campaign was disclosed in a memo sent by Google CEO Sundar Pichai and confirmed by a Google spokeswoman late Sunday, January 29.

The grant comes a day after Pichai voiced strong objections to President Donald Trump's controversial immigration ban and company co-founder Sergey Brin participated in a protest at San Francisco International Airport.

Executives at Apple, Microsoft, Netflix, Uber, Airbnb and Tesla Motors have denounced the policy, which was temporarily stalled by a federal judge in New York Saturday night.

The order could greatly disrupt the businesses of tech companies, which rely heavily on foreign-born workers. In a staff memo, Pichai said the move affects at least 187 of the Internet giant's staff.

"We’re concerned about the impact of this order and any proposals that could impose restrictions on Googlers and their families, or that could create barriers to bringing great talent to the U.S.," Google said in a statement. "We'll continue to make our views on these issues known to leaders in Washington and elsewhere."

The president's executive order suspends the entry of all refugees to the United States for 120 days, halts the admission of refugees from Syria indefinitely and bars entry for three months to residents from the predominantly Muslim countries of Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen.