* Amazon said in a statement to Business Insider on Monday that it opposes President Trump's decision to temporarily ban immigrant working visas.
* "We oppose the Administration's short-sighted action," Amazon said in a statement.
* Amazon accounted for the largest number of H1B applications among tech companies in 2017, according to the National Foundation for American Policy.
* Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Amazon condemned President Trump's decision to temporarily ban H1B immigrant working visas, calling it a "short-sighted" move.
Amazon's spokesperson sent the following statement to Business Insider on Monday, shortly after Trump signed the executive order suspending entry of immigrant workers in the US, including those coming under the H-1B visa program for highly skilled workers:
"We oppose the Administration's short-sighted action. Preventing high skilled professionals from entering the country and contributing to America's economic recovery puts American's global competitiveness at risk. The value of high-skilled visa programs is clear, and we are grateful for the many Amazon employees from around the world that have come to the U.S. to innovate new products and services for our customers. Welcoming the best and the brightest global talent to the U.S. is more important than ever, and we will continue to support efforts that will preserve their ability to strengthen our economy."
Trump said in a statement announcing the move that the temporary ban is needed to safeguard Americans from job losses, especially in the current economic downturn sparked by COVID-19. The new restrictions are set to run until the end of the year.
"Under ordinary circumstances, properly administered temporary worker programs can provide benefits to the economy. But under the extraordinary circumstances of the economic contraction resulting from the COVID-19 outbreak, certain nonimmigrant visa programs authorizing such employment pose an unusual threat to the employment of American workers," the statement said.
Like many of its tech peers, Amazon hires a lot of foreign nationals, particularly for high-tech positions. According to a study by the National Foundation for American Policy, Amazon took up the largest share of applications for H1B visas in 2017 among all tech companies.
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