The admission of refugees from Syria in the United States has been halted temporarily through an executive order signed by President Donald Trump.  The order indefinitely banned the entry of citizens of several Muslim-majority countries into the U.S. The new development has hit hard on Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) And Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) because some of their workers have been affected. The two companies who tend to draw from a global talent pool are now seeking legal assistance on behalf of 76 employees.

An initial statement indicated that green card and visa holders from those countries were also victims of the ban. These countries include Syria and Sudan, Yemen and Somalia, Iraq, Syria, and Libya. That means anyone from these countries who was out at the execution of the order is barred from reentering the U.S. However, this has since been reinstated, and the ban will only affect anyone traveling back and forth between the included countries. Those in transit and with a valid visa will also be granted an emergency stay.

Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson is filing suit against Trump’s order

President Trump’s orders have been taken with a pinch of salt. The Attorney General, since fired, says that it is in contravention of the federal Immigration and Nationality Act, which infringes on the Establishment Clause. The focus is on the potential economic impact as well as the effect on hundreds of jobs.

In a press conference, WA State Attorney General Ferguson said, “If successful, this would have the effect of invalidating the President’s unlawful action nationwide. Our complaint will be supported by declarations from entities like Expedia and Amazon, in which they lay out the significant harm that this executive order imposes on their business and their employees.”

Many other companies voice their concerns

Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg is also not taking Trump’s executive orders lightly. He says that the company is doing anything possible to protect its people and their families from any adverse effects. On the other hand, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella acknowledges that the firm has had a positive impact from immigration, sentiments that are shared by LinkedIn Corp (NYSE:LNKD) CEO Jeff Weiner and CEO Tim Cook of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL).

In the meantime, Microsoft’s stock was trading at $65.13 a decline of $0.65 or 0.99% while that of Amazon closed at $830.38 a fall of $5.39 or 0.64%.