Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos: ‘we do not support’ Trump immigration order

Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos weighed in this afternoon on President Trump’s executive order banning entry to the US for citizens of seven majority-Muslim nations. Amazon’s VP of Human Resources wrote a statement on the ban over the weekend, but this new message comes directly from Bezos himself.

Washington state, where Amazon is headquartered, is the first to directly take on Trump’s executive order. The state’s attorney general, Bob Ferguson, announced on Monday that he would challenge the ban in federal court. Washington state Governor Jay Inslee also added his voice. “It is an insult and a danger to all of the people of the state of Washington, of all faiths,” Inslee told reporters on Monday.

Bezos and Amazon are part of a chorus of voices from the tech industry speaking out against the executive order. Below is the full email from Bezos to Amazon employees.

A quick update on where we are. This executive order is one we do not support. Our public policy team in D.C. has reached out to senior administration officials to make our opposition clear. We’ve also reached out to congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle to explore legislative options. Our legal team has prepared a declaration of support for the Washington State Attorney General who will be filing suit against the order. We are working other legal options as well.

We’re a nation of immigrants whose diverse backgrounds, ideas, and points of view have helped us build and invent as a nation for over 240 years. No nation is better at harnessing the energies and talents of immigrants. It’s a distinctive competitive advantage for our country—one we should not weaken.

To our employees in the U.S. and around the world who may be directly affected by this order, I want you to know that the full extent of Amazon’s resources are behind you.

Thank you,

Jeff