A Dalton, Ga., carpet company is accused of discrimination based on national origin. The Justice Department filed suit against Garland Sales Inc. last week.
A naturalized American citizen was offered a job by the company, which then asked the person to show a “Green Card” (Form I-551 Resident Alien Card). As a citizen, the applicant had no green card, and asked why it was required. Garland then took back the job offer.
“The INA’s anti-discrimination provision makes it illegal to impose different rules for establishing work authorization based on actual or perceived citizenship status,” said Thomas E. Perez, the assistant attorney general in charge of the Civil Rights Division, in a DOJ press release. “Our Office of Special Counsel for Immigration Related Unfair Employment Practices (OSC) is acting now to remedy this illegal pattern or practice of discrimination.”
The DOJ said it found that Garland made all non-citizen job applicants show certain work authorization documents, but it is against the law to ask for more status verification from non-citizens than from citizens.
Department store Macy’s recently settled a similar discrimination case with the Civil Rights Division’s Office of Special Counsel for Immigration-Related Unfair Employment Practices (OSC). An Orlando, Fla., Macy’s allegedly asked a legal permanent resident to provide more documentations of his or her status than the federal Form I-9 requires.
As part of the settlement, Macy’s will train its human resources staff in the legal requirement to not discriminate against workers based on national origin.
A naturalized American citizen was offered a job by the company, which then asked the person to show a “Green Card” (Form I-551 Resident Alien Card). As a citizen, the applicant had no green card, and asked why it was required. Garland then took back the job offer.
“The INA’s anti-discrimination provision makes it illegal to impose different rules for establishing work authorization based on actual or perceived citizenship status,” said Thomas E. Perez, the assistant attorney general in charge of the Civil Rights Division, in a DOJ press release. “Our Office of Special Counsel for Immigration Related Unfair Employment Practices (OSC) is acting now to remedy this illegal pattern or practice of discrimination.”
The DOJ said it found that Garland made all non-citizen job applicants show certain work authorization documents, but it is against the law to ask for more status verification from non-citizens than from citizens.
Department store Macy’s recently settled a similar discrimination case with the Civil Rights Division’s Office of Special Counsel for Immigration-Related Unfair Employment Practices (OSC). An Orlando, Fla., Macy’s allegedly asked a legal permanent resident to provide more documentations of his or her status than the federal Form I-9 requires.
As part of the settlement, Macy’s will train its human resources staff in the legal requirement to not discriminate against workers based on national origin.