AppId is over the quota
A New Jersey company that hires staff for the information technology industry is fighting charges that it fired a receptionist who complained the company favored hiring immigrants over American workers.
The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit late Tuesday on behalf of an unnamed worker who was fired by Whiz International, a Jersey City company that describes itself as offering staffing and information technology services to "small, mid-size and large corporations throughout the globe."
STORY: States grapple with immigration enforcementAccording to the lawsuit, the receptionist was responsible for recruiting potential workers and to maintain a list of applicants that included their nationality and visa status. The suit says she was later told that the company preferred hiring workers on temporary visas because "they would be tied to (Whiz International) and it would be difficult for them to obtain other employment."
The receptionist voiced her discomfort with that screening process, and how it would hurt American workers applying for similar positions -- and the company's response was a termination letter, according to the lawsuit.
"Employers cannot punish employees who try to do the right thing and take reasonable measures to shed light on a practice they believe may be discriminatory," Assistant Attorney General Thomas Perez said in a statement. "Employers must ensure that their practices conform to the anti-discrimination provision of the (Immigration and Nationality Act), and retaliation will not be tolerated."
Whiz International officials did not return requests for comment.
The lawsuit comes as the immigration debate continues raging in Congress, on the presidential campaign trail, and in state capitals and cities across the country.
The number of people immigrating from Mexico halted or actually reversed for the first time in 2010, according to the Pew Hispanic Center. But states like Alabama continue passing tough laws cracking down on illegal immigrants in their states. That has created a legal challenge, with the U.S. Supreme Court expected to rule next month on a battle between Arizona and the Department of Justice over how much states can assist in immigration enforcement.