Microsoft ramps up criticism of misguided immigration ban

Microsoft on Sunday criticized President Trump’s order forbidding citizens of seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the U.S., calling the move “misguided and a fundamental step backwards.”

Trump on Friday signed an executive order suspending entry for all refugees for 120 days, and setting a 90-day ban on entry into the U.S. for citizens of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

The order sparked widespread protests at airports nationwide, and some elements of the policy were blocked Saturday evening by federal court rulings. The U.S. Department of Homeland security on Sunday evening appeared to exempt permanent U.S. residents, or green card holders, from the ban, saying their entry was “in the national interest”

Microsoft Chief Executive Satya Nadella and company president Brad Smith had initially responded to the executive order on Saturday in the form of a post on LinkedIn and an email to company employees.

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