Tim Cook ‘dismayed’ by Trump’s DACA decision

Apple CEO Tim Cook said Tuesday he was “deeply dismayed” by President Trump’s decision to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which shielded undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children.

“I am deeply dismayed that 800,000 Americans — including more than 250 of our Apple coworkers — may find themselves cast out of the only country they’ve ever called home,” Cook wrote in an email to employees reported by ABC News.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced earlier in the day Trump’s decision to end the program, which the administration plans to phase out in March 2018. Trump defended his decision to end the Obama-era program, urging Congress to act before the program is rescinded.

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DACA was implemented under former President Obama in 2012 as a way to prevent undocumented immigrants brought into the U.S. as minors from being deported. The program allowed nearly 800,000 people to stay in the country and obtain work permits. 

“I want to assure you that Apple will work with members of Congress from both parties to advocate for a legislative solution that provides permanent protections for all the Dreamers in our country,” Cook said Tuesday.

The Apple CEO was one of several tech executives who urged Trump to keep the immigration program in place. Others criticized Trump’s decision Tuesday to end the program, with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg calling it a “sad day for our country.”