WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) — The U.S. Department of Justice announced a lawsuit Sept. 28 against Crop Production Services Inc. (Crop Production) for allegations of violating the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) by discriminating against U.S. workers.
According to allegations, Crop Production preferred to hire temporary foreign workers under the H-2A visa program. It would therefore discriminate against U.S. workers, according to the Justice Department, by imposing more burdensome requirements on them. U.S. citizens had to complete background checks and take drug tests before they could begin working, but foreign workers did not.
In 2016, Crop Production allegedly refused to employ three U.S. citizens as seasonal technicians in El Campo, Texas. The company also refused to considered a limited-English proficient U.S. citizen yet hired non-English-speaking foreign workers. The department claims that all 15 of the company’s available seasonal technician jobs in 2016 went to H-2A workers.
“In the spirit of President Trump’s executive order on Buy American and Hire American, the Department of Justice will not tolerate employers who discriminate against U.S. workers because of a desire to hire temporary foreign visa holders,” said Attorney General Jeff Sessions. “The Justice Department will enforce the Immigration and Nationality Act in order to protect U.S. workers as they are the very backbone of our communities and our economy. Where there is a job available, U.S. workers should have a chance at it before we bring in workers from abroad.”