Four California companies to pay over USD 100 mn for violating anti-discrimination law

Four car reconditioning companies in California have agreed to pay over USD 100 million for violating the anti-discrimination provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) by discriminating against lawful permanent residents when verifying their authorization to work in the United States. The four companies which are Automotive Creations Inc, Dynamic Auto Images Inc., Prestige Auto Specialists Inc., and Expert Automotive Reconditioning Inc will pay USD 159,000 in civil penalties to the United States and be subject to departmental monitoring and reporting requirements.

Justice Department Settles Immigration-Related Discrimination Claim Against Four California Car Reconditioning Companies https://t.co/C1W0lYJBw8

— Justice Department (@TheJusticeDept) August 13, 2019

Additionally, certain employees will be required to attend training on the requirements of the INA's anti-discrimination provision.

The investigation in the case has concluded that the companies asked the lawful permanent residents to produce unnecessary and specific immigration documents to prove their work authorization, even when they had provided other legally acceptable documents.

The anti-discrimination provision of the INA prohibits employers from requesting more or different documents than necessary to prove work authorization based on the employees' citizenship, immigration status, or national origin.

All work-authorized individuals, regardless of citizenship status, have the right to choose which legally acceptable documents to present to demonstrate their ability to work in the United States.