Airbnb Possibly Joins Expedia, Others In Legal Battles Over Trump's Executive Order

The now infamous executive order President Trump signed last week has led to massive backlash in the form of protests, tweets and pleas from everyone from heads of state and celebrities to anyone with a Facebook feed.

Now the tech industry is mulling a legal response.

Reuters reports tech companies such as Expedia have joined the fray in countering an immigration ban some contend greatly hinders respective business.

According to the report, various tech companies are in the initial throes of holding something of a legal summit to consider how the industry might help to fight what some consider to be a detrimental and highly problematic travel ban.

GitHub reportedly heads the call and is inviting various brands to convene to launch an amicus brief, defined as a legal brief, “filed by parties who are not litigants in a case but want to offer arguments or information to the judge.”

Various brands across the tech industry are invited, including Alphabet Inc.'s Google, Airbnb Inc. and Netflix.

READ MORE: Travel Organizations Respond to Trump's Travel Ban

Unfortunately, there is little in the way of detail as to the exact aim of the amicus brief, which legal case it hopes to aid or any comment from those listed in the report.

Reuters was unable to get a statement from any of the three companies listed above. However, legal battles have already been waged against the immigration ban that has curtailed travel into the country from migrants coming from seven predominantly Muslim countries.

The report reminds that Expedia joined Amazon in support of a lawsuit filed by Bob Ferguson, the Washington state attorney general.

TechCruch quotes the state attorney general who explained: “If successful, this would have the effect of invalidating the President’s unlawful action nationwide. Our complaint will be supported by declarations from entities like Expedia and Amazon, in which they lay out the significant harm that this executive order imposes on their business and their employees.”

As noted, the likes of Expedia, Amazon and, if it so chooses to join the fray, Airbnb would help to illustrate the presumed drastic economic impact such an executive order has had and will continue to have on the tech industry.

Meanwhile, those such as Ferguson will argue the constitutionality of such a ban. Though it remains to be seen what such a two-pronged battle might accomplish.

Recently, Reuters reports the Trump administration will now allow 872 refugees considered to have already been “in transit” to resettle, offering waivers to this select group of refugees.

Just a few days after a pointed order led to national outcry, a more specified battle begins to take shape, reaching travel brands embedded in the tech sector.

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