In a time of murky uncertainty for many immigrants and their families living and working the US, global coffee powerhouse Starbucks is now offering free legal advice on immigration and a step toward a clearer picture for many employees.
The new program is a direct response to President Donald Trump’s executive order banning all Syrian refugees and travel for people from seven Muslim countries.
“Our partners (employees) and their families have questions about travel and immigration status, so we wanted to provide them with a newly developed Immigration Advisory Program to meet their needs,” Starbucks spokesman Reggie Borges told The Huffington Post.
Both fulltime and part-time employees and their families can get legal counselling tailored to their own situations through the new program.
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The company set up an email for concerned employees to send questions on immigration which will be answered by this new team.
Starbucks is also reaching out to employees who have visas from the seven Muslim countries listed on President Trump’s travel ban to ensure anyone who needs legal assistance can access services.
Starbucks’ new program comes after a federal judge in Seattle temporarily blocked the executive order, halting the hastily drawn together travel ban, and Trump fired back with an appeal which is now under review in federal court to bring back the ban.
While the ban hangs in limbo, access to legal services could not be more necessary for those who need to navigate Trump’s policy.
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This is not the first time Starbucks made clear their intention to stand with immigrants and refugees in such tumultuous times.
Starbucks CEO, Howard Schultz, who grew up in housing projects in New York, wants to afford immigrants and refugees the same chance at the American dream. Starbucks announced immediately after the travel ban came out that it would hire 10,000 refugees.
“We are living in an unprecedented time, one in which we are witness to the conscience of our country, and the promise of the American Dream, being called into question. These uncertain times call for different measures and communication tools than we have used in the past,” Schultz wrote in a statement.
It appears Starbucks is keeping its promise.