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UPDATE 2-Ford Motor criticizes Trump immigration order

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Ford Motor Co on Monday criticized President Donald Trump’s controversial immigration order, becoming one of the highest profile U.S. manufacturers to question the decision to temporarily ban travelers coming from seven predominantly Muslim countries.

The leader of Goldman Sachs also criticized the order and FedEx and UPS said they were reviewing its impact. The chief of Tesla has said he would ask members of a business advisory council to come up with potential changes to recommend to the White House.

Ford Executive Chairman Bill Ford Jr. and Chief Executive Officer Mark Fields said in a statement to employees that the company does not support what it called a new U.S. travel ban.

“We do not support this policy or any other that goes against our values as a company,” they said, adding that Ford is not aware of any employees directly affected by the policy.

Ford’s statement came the same day that Goldman Sachs Group Inc Chief Executive Officer Lloyd Blankfein became the first major Wall Street chief to say he did not support the immigration policy.

Fields met twice with Trump last week to talk about economic issues. Ford was harshly criticized by Trump during the campaign for moving some production to Mexico, but he has praised the automaker in recent weeks for announcing new U.S. investments.

Ford is based in Dearborn, Michigan, home to one of the largest Arab-American populations in the United States.

General Motors Co, Fiat Chrysler Group NV, Toyota Motor Corp and Honda Motor Co have declined to comment on the immigration order.

GM Executive Vice President Mark Reuss, asked about the Trump order at an event, said only that “GM is a global company.”

Tesla Motors Inc CEO Elon Musk used his Twitter account on Sunday to ask followers to read the immigration order and propose “specific amendments.” He said he would seek a consensus among members of a business advisory council that is expected to meet with President Trump this week.

In a response to a comment on his Twitter feed, Musk wrote, “There is no possibility of retraction, but there is possibility of modification …”

It was not clear on Monday what role Musk would play in organizing a response by the 19 members of the business advisory council. He did not reply to emails seeking comment.

CEOs of several technology companies have criticized the White House order suspending the U.S. refugee program and barring travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries.

Until Monday, executives of many U.S. companies outside Silicon Valley had remained silent or issued cautious statements highlighting their commitments to a diverse workforce.

Logistics companies FedEx Corp and United Parcel Service Inc issued statements Monday saying they were reviewing the policy’s impact. FedEx said it is “actively working to seek clarification as quickly as possible.”

UPS said it is reviewing the implications of the order for its employees around the world, and said it “supports policies that enable the legal movement of people across borders, while also understanding the need to protect national security.”

(This article has not been edited by DNA’s editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)

Source: dnaindia.com