Tech companies file briefs in support of DACA plaintiffs

Nov. 2 (UPI) -- A group of more than 100 tech companies have presented a legal challenge to President Donald Trump's decision to end Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals protections.

Companies including Adobe Systems, Airbnb, Dropbox, eBay, Facebook, Google, IBM, Lyft, Microsoft, SpaceX, Twitter and Uber filed an amicus brief Wednesday in support of five ongoing cases seeking to reinstate the program.

Trump in September announced a "wind-down" of the DACA program which has allowed about 800,000 undocumented immigrants, also known as Dreamers, brought to the United States as children before 2007 to remain without fear of deportation.

Trump on Thursday told a group of seven Republican senators he wants Congress to improve border security and end chain migration in exchange for protecting the DACA program.

The brief, signed by the group of tech companies, looks to support plaintiffs including the University of California; the city of San Jose and Santa Clara County, both in California; as well as the states of California, Maine, Maryland and Minnesota.

It argues the decision to end DACA protections was not based on a valid legal argument, making it "arbitrary and capricious" and that the removal will have a significant impact on the U.S. economy.

"DACA's rescission will inflict serious harm on U.S. companies, all workers and the American economy as a whole. Indeed, our national GDP will lose $460.3 billion, and Social Security and Medicare tax contributions will be reduced by $24.6 billion, over the next decade," the brief states.

Apple, which said it employs more than 250 Dreamers in 28 states, also filed its own brief.

"These employees are important contributors to Apple's unique culture. That unique culture enables employees throughout Apple to do the best work of their lives and excel at creating the most innovative products and providing the very best customer service," Apple's Vice President of People Deirdre O'Brien wrote in the brief.