As #DeleteUber goes viral and Silicon Valley executives release official statements, Uber’s ride-sharing competitor is taking a firm stance against President Trump’s new immigration ban. Lyft announced on Sunday that they would donate a million dollars to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) to “defend our Constitution.”
“This weekend, Trump closed the country’s borders to refugees, immigrants, and even documented residents from around the world based on their country of origin, ” the company explained in an email sent to users.
“Banning people of a particular faith or creed, race or identity, sexuality or ethnicity, from entering the U.S. is antithetical to both Lyft’s and our nation’s core values. We stand firmly against these actions, and will not be silent on issues that threaten the values of our community.”
Meanwhile, Uber announced that they would compensate drivers who are currently affected by Trump’s executive order. Uber’s CEO Travis Kalanick explained in a statement, “We are working out a process to identify these drivers and compensate them pro bono during the next three months to help mitigate some of the financial stress and complications with supporting their families and putting food on the table. We will have more details on this in the coming days,” Kalanick said.
On Friday, President Trump signed an executive order that stopped Syrian refugees and individuals from “terror-prone” countries from entering the United States. These countries include residents from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Yemen, and Somalia.
On Friday, Mark Zuckerberg openly criticized Trump’s executive order. “We need to keep this country safe, but we should do that by focusing on people who actually pose a threat,” Zuckerberg explained in a Facebook post.
When asked about the immigration ban, President Trump responded by saying, “It’s not a Muslim ban, but we were totally prepared,” The New York Times reports. “It’s working out very nicely. You see it at the airports, you see it all over.”