Taking a stance to defend our values

I shared the message below with our staff this morning:

I believe deeply in the importance of immigration. Postmates was founded by immigrants and US citizens. Our first ever employee was born in Myanmar and I am myself an immigrant.

I have restrained from being too vocal about the fear and uncertainty that is being distilled by the actions of the current administration. President Donald Trump’s executive order halting travel from seven Muslim-majority countries — Iraq, Syria, Iran, Yemen, Sudan, Libya and Somalia — is concerning to us, as well as many national and international leaders. I no longer believe it to be reasonable to remain silent.

On Saturday, many legal residents of the United States who hold valid green cards and approved visas were blocked from boarding planes overseas or were detained for hours in American airports.

It is evident to myself and the leadership of Postmates that these policies on immigration are morally questionable due to the impact they have on the lives that have been and will be affected. We see them as contrary to the long standing precedent that the United States is a country that welcomes, values and embraces the diversity cultivated through immigration.

Postmates is a reflection of these long standing values. We choose not to discriminate individuals based on where they are from and it has suited us well as we have been able to hire and employ the most talented people from around the world.

The trade-off of these policies is obvious. In exchange for the guise of safety rooted in fear of those with different religious, ethnic and cultural backgrounds we will be abandoning the diverse melting pot of culture and ideas that has made the United States prosper. That is the bedrock that creative growing companies like Postmates have been built upon. Ignoring the dynamics of this diversity, which is distinctly American and has set our country apart from the rest the world throughout history is short sighted and damaging.

In order to help preserve the historic relationship the United States has with immigration and to mitigate the impact on those affected by the current changes in policy we will be matching the personal donations made by Postmates employees to the ACLU and the International Refugee Assistance Project.

Thank You!

Bastian