Apple CEO Tim Cook says he stands by immigrant employees

US President Donald Trump will announce whether he plans to eliminate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, which allowed nearly 800,000 immigrants brought to the country illegally as kids to remain and legally work.

Apple CEO Tim Cook says he is standing by hundreds of Apple immigrant employees brought to the US as children who have been shielded from deportation by a programme President Donald Trump might eliminate.

US President Donald Trump speaks next to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella (right) and Apple CEO Tim Cook (left). Cook said immigrants deserve respect as equals. (AFP file photo)

Cook tweeted on Sunday that “250 of my Apple co-workers are #Dreamers. I stand with them. They deserve our respect as equals and a solution rooted in American values.”

The White House says Trump is expected to announce on Tuesday whether he plans to eliminate former President Barack Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, which has allowed nearly 800,000 immigrants who were brought to the country illegally as kids to remain in the US and legally work.

Cook and the CEOs of Facebook, Microsoft, Google and other companies have put pressure on Trump to keep the programme.