Nearly 100 tech companies, including giants like Apple, Google, and Uber, are siding with Washington state as it fights President Donald Trump's ban on refugees and travelers from seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States should stay in place.

The companies filed a legal brief opposing President Donald Trump's temporary travel ban, arguing that it "inflicts significant harm on American business." Corporations that that filed the brief include Facebook, Twitter, Intel, eBay, Netflix and Uber, as well as non-tech companies such as Levi Strauss and Chobani.

The businesses filed their briefs late Sunday with a federal appellate court saying the Trump executive order makes it harder to recruit employees. They also said the travel ban would prompt businesses to build operations outside the United States.

Washington state is suing Trump, saying the ban harmed residents and effectively mandated discrimination.

The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals this weekend denied the administration's request to immediately set aside a Seattle judge's ruling that put a hold on the ban nationwide.

The White House says it expects the courts to restore President Donald Trump's ban on refugees and travelers from seven predominantly Muslim countries, an executive order founded on a claim of national security.

The next opportunity for the president's team to argue in favour of the ban will come in the form of a response to a lawsuit by Washington state and Minnesota contending that Trump's order harms residents and effectively mandates discrimination. The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeal has ordered the Justice Department to file its briefs by 6pm EST Monday.

The San Francisco-based appeals court has already turned down a Justice Department request to set aside immediately a Seattle judge's ruling that put a temporary hold on the ban nationwide.

That ruling last Friday prompted an ongoing Twitter rant by Trump, who dismissed US District Court Judge James Robart as a "so-called judge" and his decision as "ridiculous".

'Significant harm on American business'

"The Order represents a significant departure from the principles of fairness and predictability that have governed the immigration system of the United States for more than fifty years," the brief from the companies stated.

"The Order inflicts significant harm on American business, innovation, and growth as a result," it added.

"Immigrants or their children founded more than 200 of the companies on the Fortune 500 list," it further said.

US tech companies, which employ many foreign-born nationals, have been among the most vocal groups in speaking out against Trump's travel order, which he has defended as necessary to ensure closer vetting of people coming into the country and better protect the country from the threat of terrorist attacks.

Amazon.com and Expedia, both based in Washington state, support the Seattle lawsuit, asserting that the travel restrictions harmed their businesses.