U.S. Airlines Respond
American on Sunday
U.S. Customs and Border
Protection (CBP) advised American Airlines that, per a Presidential Executive
Order, nationals of the following countries will be prohibited from entering
the United States for at least 90 days: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan,
Syria and Yemen. We are working with authorities to comply with the executive
order while treating all of our customers with respect and taking great care of
any affected customers by assisting them with rebooking options and full
refunds.
Delta Air Lines on Saturday
An Executive Order issued on Jan. 27 has suspended for 90 days
the entry into the United States of most immigrant and non-immigrant "aliens
[8 USC 11101(a)(3)]" from the nations of Libya, Iran, Iraq, Somalia,
Sudan, Syria and Yemen. Entry of nationals from Syria as refugees is suspended
indefinitely. Delta will make every effort to contact impacted customers with
flexible rebooking options, including refunds.
United Airlines on Saturday
We are aware of the directive and are working
with the federal government to comply. Effective immediately and until further
notice, due to an executive order, the U.S. Department of State has revoked
immigrant and non-immigrant visas for travelers to the United States from Iran,
Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. Please note that this does not
affect U.S. resident card holders. Customers who meet these qualifications will
not be able to board a United- or United Express-operated flight to the U.S. If
you have travel plans that are affected by this new regulation, please contact
the United
Customer Contact Center.
Protests broke out at major airports in Chicago, Dallas,
Denver, Los Angeles, New York, Seattle and Washington, D.C., among others, over
the weekend after President Donald Trump signed an immigration ban late Friday
afternoon that restricted citizens of seven countries from entering the U.S. The
executive ordered banned citizens of Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria
and Yemen from entering the U.S. for 90 days so the Department of Homeland
Security may review the effectiveness of visa information requirements for each
country. The order also suspended all refugees from around the world from
entering the U.S. for 120 days; it specifically suspended Syrian refugees
indefinitely.
Reports vary regarding how many travelers were detained at
U.S. airports as of Monday morning. The New York Times reported that 109
individuals were detained in the first 24 hours. By Monday, the White House had
reported that 392 green card holders had been admitted. These numbers do not
include individuals prevented from boarding flights bound for the U.S. from
foreign airports.
The uneven implementation of the executive order at airport
checkpoints and the evolving messaging throughout the weekend caused confusion
about which travelers should be affected. The language of the action itself
includes "immigrant and nonimmigrant" travelers, meaning legal
residents (green card holders) and those traveling on visas. On Saturday, a
White House official said that the ban would include green card holders and
that Homeland Security would consider entry on a case-by-case basis.
On Sunday, the
administration seemed to back off that aggressive stance after judges in New
York, Massachusetts and Virginia blocked certain aspects of the order and
temporarily stayed deportation for individuals with permanent U.S. resident
status or valid visas, including refugees. Reince Priebus told NBC's Chuck Todd
in an interview on Sunday that "as far as green card holders, moving
forward, it doesn't affect them." The status of refugees with visas,
however, is not clear. The New York district court ruling stopped short of
allowing them entry into the country.
Later Sunday, Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly underscored
that unless there was information indicating a serious threat to public safety
and welfare, legal resident status would be a "dispositive factor in our
case-by-case determination." In lay terms, citizens of the seven countries
who hold permanent U.S. green cards will be allowed to re-enter the U.S. It is
not clear, however, what type of additional screening they may now face.
Businesses React
Apple, Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Starbucks and others have
reacted to the travel ban, largely condemning the action as contrary to
recruitment of best-in-class employees but also grappling with the practical
matters now facing workers who are traveling or stationed abroad or who need to
travel.
On social media, Google CEO Sundar Pichai circulated an
internal memo that called all of the approximately 100 potentially affected
staff back to the United States. Microsoft reportedly is providing legal assistance
to affected employees.
Amazon's HR department issued a memo, subsequently provided
to the The Verge, advising potentially affected workers who are in the U.S.,
either residing permanently or working in the country, to refrain from personal
or business travel. For those employees with work visas in the U.S. but currently
traveling outside the States, Amazon is working on "contingency plans"
until the restrictions are lifted. Amazon advised employees in other countries
but with citizenship or dual citizenship in any of the listed countries to
cancel any plans for personal or business travel to the States.
Uber CEO Travis Kalanick circulated an internal memo on
social media that the company would provide pro bono compensation for three
months for the "dozen or so" Uber employees traveling abroad and
unable to return to the U.S. for the duration of the initial ban. He also said
he would support diversity in his role as a member of President Trump's
economic advisory board. Nonetheless, a consumer protest broke out against Uber
after the ridesharing service eliminated surge pricing to John F. Kennedy International
Airport on Saturday night at the same time as a New York City taxi strike that
was in support of protests at the airport. Many consumers saw the move as an
attempt to profit off the protests and responded with a #deleteuber meme that
spread across Twitter.
Sharing Economy
Suppliers Reach Out
Airbnb, Lyft and Uber have reached out to assist travelers
stranded by Trump's ban. Airbnb has offered free lodging to travelers unable to
get to their final U.S. destinations. Lyft has pledged a $1 million donation to
the American Civil Liberties Union, which successfully argued the case against
the executive order and won the first injunction against it from the federal
court in Brooklyn. Lyft co-founders John Zimmer and Logan Green emailed customers early Sunday morning, announcing
their decision to donate the money to help "defend our constitution."
Also on Sunday, Uber's Kalanick backed up his letter from Saturday by
pledging to create a "$3 million legal defenses fund to help drivers with
immigration and translation services," according to a social media post.