Google has created a crisis fund that it hopes will raise $4 million for several organizations fighting for immigrant rights. The tech giant’s CEO told employees over the weekend that it will seed the fund — to benefit the American Civil Liberties Union, the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, the International Rescue Committee and the U.N. Refugee Agency — with $2 million. Employee donations will then be matched up to $2 million.
The campaign was disclosed in a memo from Google CEO Sundar Pichai, who also said at least 187 Google workers could be affected by Trump’s order. The company confirmed the contents of the memo with USA Today. In an official statement, Google said: “We’re concerned about the impact of this order and any proposals that could impose restrictions on Googlers and their families, or that could create barriers to bringing great talent to the U.S.”
Executives at Google are also donating separately to the effort, with Soviet-born co-founder Sergey Brin even joining protesters at San Francisco International Airport on Saturday night.
Other tech companies have offered support as well. Airbnb CEO Brian Cheskysaid on Twitter that the company will provide “free housing to refugees and anyone not allowed in the US,” and ride-sharing service Lyft announced it would donate $1 million to the ACLU over the next four years.
The ACLU said on Sunday that it had received $24 million in online donationssince Trump’s order. It typically raises about $4 million online in an entire year.
