Microsoft GitHub explains why it won't unplug services for U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency

Early today, there were some reports that accused GitHub of providing technology services to the U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency which has bad immigration policies, including the practice of separating families at the border, the Muslim travel ban, and the efforts to dismantle the DACA program. GitHub CEO Nat Friedman today published a long blog post on why GitHub will continue to serve ICE even though it is against several key ICE policies. You can read his full blog post from the source link below.

Nat mentioned that GitHub is taking the following steps:

• We will continue to participate in policy and advocacy efforts to change the current administration’s terrible immigration policies like the family separation policy and the effort to rescind DACA. We will continue to use our voice to raise awareness in defense of those groups impacted by these policies. We will leverage Microsoft’s Legislative & Government Affairs teams to amplify the impact we can have on these issues.
• We will donate $500,000—in excess of the value of the purchase by ICE—to nonprofit organizations working to support immigrant communities targeted by the current administration. The Social Impact team will get Hubber input on which nonprofits can provide the most impact for migrants, to be supported via this donation. In the past, we’ve supported organizations like Border Angels, Families for Freedom, and Movement on the Ground.
• We are proud of the work Hubbers have been doing to support immigrants and we will continue to encourage and support employees who want to donate their time or other resources to causes in support of humane immigration policies and migrant rights. For example, our Legal team is starting to work with Kids In Need of Defense (KIND), to provide pro-bono legal services to support unaccompanied children who are appearing in immigration court. KIND also needs translation services, and so this could be an opportunity for others with language skills across the company. We are sure there are many other non-profits worthy of support that Hubbers can bring to our attention as well.

Source: Github