Apple's CEO takes stand supporting "Dreamers"

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Apple Inc Tim Cook on Sunday voiced support for undocumented immigrants who arrived in the United States as children, China's Xinhua news agency reported.

Cook wrote in a message posted on his Twitter account that "250 of my Apple coworkers are Dreamers. I stand with them."

The term "Dreamer" derives from a legislative proposal known as the DREAM Act, acronym for Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors. First introduced in the Senate in 2001 and reintroduced several times in years thereafter, the bill and several similar versions failed to pass through the US legislative branch.

Under the administration of former US President Barack Obama, a policy known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) was put into place in June 2012, to allow Dreamers to receive a renewable two-year period of deferred action from deportation and eligibility for a work permit by applying to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

However, there have been media reports in recent days that the current administration of President Donald Trump is considering bringing the DACA program to an end.

If the program ends, the roughly 800,000 people who are registered in DACA would not be allowed to obtain additional work authorisations once their current approvals expire.

In his personal response to the reports, the Apple CEO wrote in his social media posting early Sunday morning that "they (Dreamers) deserve our respect as equals and a solution rooted in American values."

Cook joined about 300 chief executives, including those of Amazon, Facebook and Google, last Thursday, urging Trump to continue protecting Dreamers from being deported.

"Dreamers are vital to the future of our companies and our economy," they wrote in a joint letter. "They are part of why we will continue to have a global competitive advantage."

-- BERNAMA