Tesla and SpaceX, two brainchildren of billionaire business magnate and tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, have joined more than 100 other companies in opposing President Donald Trump’s executive order restricting immigration, company officials confirmed to The Huffington Post.
In an amicus ― “friend of the court” ― brief filed Sunday to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, dozens of companies argued that Trump’s executive order suspending refugee resettlement and barring all travelers from seven predominantly Muslim countries is unconstitutional and bad for business.
“As soon we saw the brief this morning, we insisted on being added,” a Tesla spokesperson said in an email to HuffPost.
Tesla and SpaceX were among roughly 30 companies to sign on to the document Monday, bringing the total number to 127. Other major firms include Apple, Facebook, Google, Netflix, Twitter and Microsoft.
“Immigrants are among our leading entrepreneurs, politicians, artists and philanthropists,” the letter states. “The experience and energy of people who come to our country to seek a better life for themselves and their children — to pursue the ‘American Dream’ — are woven throughout the social political and economic fabric of the Nation.”
The legal brief supports a lawsuit filed by Washington state and joined by Minnesota last Friday, which on Friday won a temporary nationwide restraining order against Trump’s executive order.
Over the weekend, Trump repeatedly took to Twitter to blast the judge who issued the order, calling it “ridiculous.”
Musk, one of nearly 20 business leaders advising Trump, voiced immediate opposition to the order targeting Muslims, as HuffPost previously reported.
Over the weekend, Musk took to Twitter to defend both the U.S. legal system and those engaging with Trump on important issues.
In addition to the tech community, national security veterans and several state governments have spoken out against the ban, which has triggered protests across the nation.
Cristian Farias and Mary Papenfuss contributed reporting.
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