GM promised employees it would assist any affected by Trump's immigration ban
On Friday, Trump signed an executive order that barred immigrants from seven Muslim-majority nations from entering the United States.
John Quattrone, GM's SVP of global human resources, did not outright condemn the order, but noted "we value and respect individual differences. ... Empowering these unique perspectives keeps GM on the cutting edge of technological innovation in the fast-paced automotive industry." The statement was published on an internal GM employee website.
GM CEO Mary Barra, a member of Trump's Strategic and Policy Forum, has not made a personal statement. She will be meeting with Trump and the rest of his business advisory council for the first time on Friday.
A spokesperson for GM said that "to date we are not aware of any GM employee directly impacted by the policy."
The full memo is included below. (Note: specific contact information for travel assistance was included in communication to employees but has been removed here for confidentiality purposes."
"Travel and Immigration Policy Update"
"As you are aware, issues of immigration and travel have been at the forefront of discussion since a new Executive Order was issued last Friday. Some of our colleagues operate here with a GM-sponsored work visa and a few are from the countries affected by the Executive Order.
"Please know that, per our normal business practices, if any GM employee traveling back to the U.S. with a visa encounters difficulties, GM will provide the employee and his/her family with support.
"At General Motors, we value and respect individual differences. We appreciate what each individual brings to the team, including background, education, gender, race, ethnicity, working and thinking styles, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, religious background, age, generation, disability, cultural expertise and technical skill. Empowering these unique perspectives keeps GM on the cutting edge of technological innovation in the fast-paced automotive industry.
"We will continue to provide updates as needed if there are new developments.
John Quattrone
Senior Vice President
Global Human Resources"