‘This may be the only country they ever know’

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Meg Whitman, CEO of Hewlett Packard, on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange

HPE CEO Meg Whitman said Wednesday she was disappointed by President Donald Trump’s decision to end a program that protects undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children.

“I am not in favor of rolling DACA back,” Whitman said in an interview on CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street.”

“Think about who these individuals are. They were brought here as children, through no fault or agent of their own. And they have gone to school here. English is often their first language. This may be the only country they ever know,” she said.

The HPE chief’s remarks echo a number of tech CEOs, including Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who spoke against Trump’s decision on Tuesday to rescind the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who announced the decision Tuesday, argued that the program was an unlawful overreach by President Barack Obama and said he could not defend it. The Trump administration gave Congress six months to complete legislation on the issue before DACA individuals lose their status.

Whitman said there are no HPE employees that she is aware of that will be directly impacted by Trump’s decisions but said she is sure “there are probably some.”

“We all know people who have children of blended families,” Whitman said. “Three children in a blended family: One came here with their parents illegally but the two others were born here. I mean I think it’s just a shame and unnecessary and I think it’s not the right thing for America.”

Whitman added these individuals have made real contributions to the U.S. and have the opportunity to make future contributions.