WASHINGTON, D.C. (CHATNEWSTV) — The United States Justice Department announced on Monday a settlement agreement with Great Dane LLC, a major trailer manufacturer, resolving allegations of immigration-related discrimination at its Wayne, Nebraska, plant.
The agreement addresses the department’s findings that Great Dane violated the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) by imposing discriminatory hiring practices against non-U.S. citizens.
“It is unlawful for employers to add discriminatory barriers in the hiring process because of a worker’s citizenship or immigration status,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.
“The Justice Department is committed to ensuring that workers enjoy the protections the law provides, including where barriers to employment are discriminatory.”
The Justice Department’s investigation began after a lawful permanent resident, who had applied for a job at Great Dane, filed a complaint.
According to the department, the company unlawfully required non-U.S. citizens, including the complainant, to provide additional and unnecessary documents to prove their eligibility to work. The investigation found that Great Dane requested these extra documents despite the fact that the complainant had already presented sufficient proof of work authorization, such as a state ID and an unrestricted Social Security card. As a result, the company failed to hire some non-U.S. citizens who could not comply with the unnecessary demands.
The settlement mandates that Great Dane will pay $218,000 in civil penalties to the United States and establish a $218,000 backpay fund to compensate victims of the discriminatory practices. This includes those who were not hired or who lost work because they could not meet the company’s unauthorized documentation requirements. The company must also revise its employment policies, train staff on anti-discrimination laws, and comply with monitoring and reporting obligations by the Justice Department.
In conjunction with the settlement, the Justice Department released a new fact sheet aimed at educating lawful permanent residents—often known as green card holders—about their rights under the INA. “Lawful permanent residents do not have to show a Permanent Resident Card (or ‘green card’) or prove their immigration status when demonstrating their permission to work,” the statement highlighted. The document is designed to help immigrants understand their protections against discriminatory practices during employment verification and how to seek assistance if faced with such barriers.
The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, through its Immigrant and Employee Rights Section (IER), is responsible for enforcing the anti-discrimination provisions of the INA. The law prohibits unfair treatment based on citizenship status or national origin in hiring, firing, recruitment, and other employment practices. Employers are also forbidden from limiting the types of valid documentation that lawful permanent residents can provide to prove their work authorization.
Those who believe they might be entitled to back pay due to Great Dane’s discriminatory practices are encouraged to contact the Civil Rights Division at Claims.GD@usdoj.gov.
This settlement reaffirms the Justice Department’s stance on protecting workers’ rights regardless of their citizenship status, ensuring fair treatment under U.S. employment laws.
