Microsoft is adding its voice to those that have condemned the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” immigration policy in recent days.
On Monday, following criticism for its own contract with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Microsoft has said it is “dismayed by the forcible separation of children from their families at the border.”
https://twitter.com/EricaJoy/status/1008731840780177415
In its statement, Microsoft noted that it is not directly working with ICE or U.S. Customs and Border Protection on these immigration policies and is “not aware” of its software “being used for this purpose.”
“Family unification has been a fundamental tenet of American policy and law since the end of World War II,” the statement continued. “As a company Microsoft has worked for over 20 years to combine technology with the rule of law to ensure that children who are refugees and immigrants can remain with their parents. We need to continue to build on this noble tradition rather than change course now.”
Finally, Microsoft called on the administration to change its policy and on Congress to “pass legislation ensuring children are no longer separated from their families.”
Microsoft has a reported $19.14 million contract with ICE to provide it with its cloud-computing software Azure. While news of the contract isn’t new—Microsoft published a blog detailing the deal in January—it resurfaced over the weekend amid growing calls to stop separating children from their families at the border.