Microsoft Will Pay Legal Fees For DACA Employees

REDMOND, WA - Microsoft is responding to the Trump administration's repeal of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program by saying it will pay the legal fees of its DACA recipient employees. Microsoft President Brad Smith announced the move in a blog post Tuesday and said that 39 Microsoft employees are DACA recipients.

Microsoft, however, is asking Congress to rearrange its legislative priorities to pass legislation to protect DACA "Dreamers" before the program expires in March.

"We believe this means that Congress now needs to reprioritize the fall legislative calendar and move quickly with new legislation to protect these 800,000 Dreamers. This means that Congress should adopt legislation on DACA before it tries to adopt a tax reform bill," Smith said in the blog post.

Watch: The Trump Administration Just Announced The End Of DACA

But if Congress fails to act, Smith said, Microsoft is prepared to defend its employees.

"If the government seeks to deport any one of them, we will provide and pay for their legal counsel. We will also file an amicus brief and explore whether we can directly intervene in any such case. In short, if Dreamers who are our employees are in court, we will be by their side," Smith said in the post.

Microsoft has opposed other Trump administration moves, including the original travel ban executive order issued in February. Microsoft was part of an amicus brief supporting Attorney General Bob Ferguson's suit against the Trump administration over the travel ban.

Image via Microsoft