Leaders at Ford Motor Company spoke out Monday against President Donald Trump’s order restricting travel into the U.S. by refugees and people from several Muslim-majority countries. The two other major American automakers have kept quiet.
Bill Ford, Ford’s executive chairman, and Mark Fields, president and chief executive, released a joint statement Monday contrasting Trump’s policy, which many believe unjustly discriminates against Muslims, with the company’s values.
“Respect for all people is a core value of Ford Motor Company, and we are proud of the rich diversity of our company here at home and around the world,” the statement says. “That is why we do not support this policy or any other that goes against our values as a company.”
According to the statement, which was also sent to employees, Ford is not aware of any of its employees being directly affected by the travel restrictions.
Trump’s executive order, released Friday, temporarily halts the refugee resettlement program, bans Syrian refugees indefinitely and bars travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S. The order sparked chaos and massive protests on Saturday and Sunday as authorities struggled to interpret it, detained travelers at airports or refused to let them into the country. Court orders issued over the weekend temporarily halted major parts of the order.
General Motors declined to comment on the new travel restrictions on Sunday. GM CEO Mary Barra is one of the 19 business leaders on Trump’s business advisory council, who have largely said nothing about his executive order.
Two members of Trump’s advisory group, Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Uber CEO Travis Kalanick, have criticized the travel restriction.
The order’s focus on several majority-Muslim countries “is not the best way to address the country’s challenges,” Musk tweeted on Saturday.
Kalanick said Uber would be working to support drivers who are affected by the travel ban.
“While every government has their own immigration controls, allowing people from all around the world to come here and make America their home has largely been the U.S.’s policy since its founding,” Kalanick wrote in a company-wide email. “That means this ban will impact many innocent people ― an issue that I will raise this coming Friday when I go to Washington for President Trump’s first business advisory group meeting.”
Uber has faced its own criticisms for working with Trump’s administration and for its response to protests against Trump’s order at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Saturday. Some people have deleted the ride-sharing app as a result.
CEOs of companies including Nike, Apple and Facebook have also criticized Trump’s plan.
Car companies and other U.S. manufacturers have a fragile relationship with Trump, who has routinely attacked them for foreign manufacturing. In a meeting last week, Trump urged the three Detroit automakers to keep jobs in the United States and build new factories.
After that meeting, Fields praised Trump on Thursday for prioritizing policies that will “stoke both investment and job creation.”
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