National Origin and Citizenship Employment Discrimination: New Regulation

A new regulation takes effect today, January 18, 2017, to prevent national origin and citizenship discrimination in employment.  The Department of Justice stated that treating a worker differently when requesting documents during the employment verification process, no matter the intent, will be prohibited.  The department redefined this type of discrimination as “The act of intentionally treating an individual differently from other individuals because of notional origin or citizenship status, regardless of whether such treatment is because of animus or hostility”.  Before this revision, the DOJ could not effectively pursue charges against employers if hiring practices were considered discriminatory but not carried out with intent or harm.  This applies in the I-9 as well as the E-Verify processes.  With these new rules, employers will need to examine their hiring policies to make sure they adhere.

Henrichsen Siegel has decades of experience in employment discrimination law.  If you feel you have been discriminated against contact us through our website’s submission form.

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