In late June, the White House introduced a series of new visa restrictions that would allow immigrants to work temporarily in the United States, arguing that the rollback was due to high unemployment from the coronavirus pandemic.
Amazon, Netflix and Twitter also appeared in court shortly.
The visas included are L-1 visas for business transfers, H-1Bs for workers in special occupations such as the H-4 visa for married couples, H-2Bs for temporary non-agricultural workers and most J-1 visas for exchange visitors. Many companies rely on this visa to bring in foreign workers.
In an amicus letter filed Monday, those companies warned of the consequences of expelling foreign workers to come to the US.
“Already, global competitors in Canada, China, and India, among others, have the opportunity to attract well-educated, innovative individuals,” she wrote. “And American companies are scrambling to adapt, hiring the necessary talent to work in locations outside our nation’s borders. The Proclamation did not consider these costs.”
The amicus letter is part of an ongoing lawsuit challenging the June proclamation, which set restrictions until the end of 2020.
CNN previously reported one of the key figures behind the pressure to curb immigration is Stephen Miller, Trump’s lead immigration adviser and the architect of President Donald Trump’s hard immigration agenda.
Citing the pandemic, the administration has pushed forward with a series of immigration measures that, prior to coronavirus, had difficulty breaking through. Among those changes is the closure of the southern border for migrants, including those seeking asylum, unless certain conditions are met.
Companies such as Apple have previously criticized the immigration actions of this administration. Last year, for example, Apple came out in support of recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
