DETROIT — Business leaders are condemning the Trump administration’s decision to separate children from parents who are accused of crossing the border illegally.
The Business Roundtable, a lobbying group that includes the CEOs of Walmart Inc., General Motors Co., Boeing Co. and Mastercard Inc., released a statement Tuesday urging the immediate end to the policy.
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“This practice is cruel and contrary to American values,” said Chuck Robbins, the chairman and CEO of Cisco Systems Inc. and the head of the Business Roundtable’s immigration committee.
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“Business Roundtable urges the Administration to end immediately the policy of separating accompanied minors from their parents.”
Robbins also said the business leaders support lawmakers on both sides who are working to reform immigration policy “in good faith.”
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“Resolving these issues in a manner that reflects American values will boost our economy and is right for our society,” the statement read.
The group called for comprehensive immigration reform that protects DACA recipients who arrived in the U.S. as children. The group also doesn’t want to curb legal immigration, which it says helps U.S. businesses.
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The Business Roundtable joined several other companies, including Microsoft and Airbnb, who have spoken out against child separations.
— With files from Global News reporter Maham Abedi