UCSD Medical Center faces DoJ suit for alleged immigrant discrimination

The Justice Department yesterday announced it is suing University of California San Diego (UCSD) Medical Center of alleged discrimination against immigrant employees and job applicants. The Justice Department said UCSD Medical Center from January 2004 through June 2011 required excessive documentation from non-citizens but not from U.S. citizens, reports the Associated Press.

Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, employers are prohibited from placing additional documentary burdens on work-authorized employees during the hiring and employment eligibility verification process because of their citizenship status or national origin. 

"All workers who are authorized to work in the United States have the right to work without encountering discrimination because of their immigration status or national origin," Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division Thomas E. Perez said in a press release. "We are committed to vigorously protecting authorized workers from discrimination in the hiring process and ensuring that employers uphold their obligations under the law." 

After the Justice Department raised concerns in January, UCSD said it made changes in full compliance, according to the AP article.

The Justice Department is seeking unspecified monetary damages for affected workers.

For more information:
- read the DoJ press release
- read the AP article

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