Tech companies to meet on legal challenge to Trump immigration order

A group of technology companies plans to meet on Tuesday to discuss filing an amicus brief in support of a lawsuit challenging U.S. President Donald Trump's order restricting immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries, said a spokesperson for a company organizing the gathering.

The meeting is being called together by GitHub, which makes software development tools.

Alphabet Inc's Google, Airbnb Inc and Netflix Inc are among the companies invited, a separate person familiar with the situation said. The Trump administration says the rules will increase national safety and are well within its powers.

Spokespeople for Box and AdRoll said they would attend the meeting. An Etsy spokeswoman said the company received Github's invite but could not confirm if it would move forward with the group.

Ed Black of the Computer & Communications Industry Association said that the "hasty executive order is unlikely to achieve the desired goal and instead damages the principles that make this country a place immigrants aspire to work."

Gary Shapiro of the Consumer Technology Association said that "blocking access en masse of employees of US companies who are lawful visa and green card holders based on religion or national origin raises constitutional issues, hurts our nation -- both morally and economically -- and runs counter to our country's longstanding values."