#PositivelyImmigration | Why Immigrants Are Essential to American Inventiveness and Economic Growth | Tech Companies Amicus Curie Brief in Opposition to travel ban explained
The travel ban implemented by President Trump's Executive Order has resulted in fierce opposition from notable tech companies such as Google, Twitter, Apple and Amazon. The tech companies have turned their fierce opposition into action by filing amicus briefs in opposition to the travel ban with the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. One filing was joined by 97 different leading U.S. tech companies and non-tech companies from other sectors of the economy.
What is an Amicus Curie Brief?
"Amicus Curie" is latin for "friend of the court," and refers to someone who is not a party to the litigation, but who believes that the court's ruling will effect its' interests. In other words, a party filing an amicus curie brief is not a plaintiff or defendant in the case, but nonetheless will be effected by the decision of the court.
In order to file an amicus curie brief, both parties to the litigation must consent to the filing or the court itself can allow the filing if an amicus party files a motion requesting such with the court.
Amicus curie briefs are meant to supplement the court with valuable information and legal arguments that may not have been brought up by the actual parties to the litigation.
The 97 U.S. companies who filed the amicus curie brief in Washington, et al v. Trump, Case No. 2:17-cv-00141-JLR, argue that, "the Order inflicts significant harm on American business, innovation, and growth..." by "threaten[ing] companies’ ability to attract talent, business, and investment to the United States." The brief goes on to explain that immigrants are essential to American innovativeness, growth and inventiveness as evidenced by the high number of immigrant Nobel prize winners and the fact that immigrants with advanced degrees are 3 times as likely to file patents than U.S.-born citizens with the same level of education. The brief goes onto explain the positive impact that these immigrants have on their colleagues and our country as a whole before explaining exactly how the companies and our country are harmed by the travel ban.
Countless Studies Back up the Claims that Immigrants Positively Impact Multiple Facts of American Life.
One study that was conducted over a 60 year time period (from 1940-2000), found that geographic areas of the Untied States with a higher number of immigrants produced more inventions and patents. Parents are associated with economic growth. For more information, click here to read The Atlantic article titled, "Immigrants and American Inventiveness."
In my first #PositivelyImmigration blog post, I also touched on the issue of immigrant inventiveness when I reported that 6 of the 7 Nobel prize winners in 2016 were foreign-born.
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