Michael Dell Pledges HR, Legal Support For Employees Hit By Trump Travel Ban

Dell Technologies Chairman and CEO Michael Dell says the company will make legal, human resources and other help available to employees and families of employees affected by President Donald Trump's ban on refugees and nearly all citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries entering the U.S.

Dell, in an internal note to employees sent on Monday, made it clear that immigration reform is a priority and that he has his employees' backs.

"We will advocate for immigration reform that supports our business, our customers, our team members and their families," Dell wrote. "We believe in creating a global business that harnesses the power of the best and brightest talent regardless of their country of origin. In the interim, we will provide HR, legal support and resources for any Dell Technologies team member and/or family member who has been affected" by Trump's Muslim ban.

Related: 5 Tech CEOs Slamming Trump's Immigration Ban

Dell Technologies employs about 140,000 people worldwide, about 40,000 of them in the U.S.

Dell was one of about a dozen top executives from several large, U.S.-based firms – including the Ford Motor Co. and Johnson & Johnson – to meet with Trump at the White House last week. After that meeting, Dell took to Twitter to say he was optimistic about Trump's "pro-growth" agenda.

"As a global company, it is imperative to us, our customers and partners that we have a seat at the policy table," Dell wrote Monday, referring to the White House meeting. "It's an opportunity to influence the policies that impact our collective ability to compete and win – not just in America, but all over the world. As the technology leader in the group, I feel a tremendous sense of responsibility to represent the issues most relevant to our industry."

In addition to immigration reform, Dell's policy priorities are fair trade, corporate tax reform and "a thoughtful approach to regulation," he said in Monday's letter.

Dell refrained from discussing politics publicly during the presidential campaign, and his approach now differs from that of several tech industry leaders who have publicly blasted Trump's Muslim ban. Several large tech company CEOs including Microsoft's Satya Nadella, Apple's Tim Cook, Google's Sundar Pichai and Intel's Brian Krzanich have denounced the executive order clearly and without reservation. Jeff Bezos, CEO of Seattle-based Amazon, said today said he supports a lawsuit filed by Washington's state attorney general opposing Trump's executive order.

In an executive order issued on Friday, Trump imposed a 90-day ban on refugees and nearly all citizens entering the U.S. from seven Muslim-majority countries: Syria, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Yemen and Sudan. During his presidential campaign, Trump issued a statement to reporters in Dec. 2015 calling for "a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country's representatives can figure out what is going on."