WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) — The U.S. Department of Justice announced Feb. 20 that Food Love 125 Inc., which does business as Ichiba Ramen, a New York City restaurant, will change its business practices and pay a civil penalty after allegations of violating the Immigration and Nationality Act’s (INA) anti-discrimination provision.
According to allegations, a former chef at the restaurant refused to hire a server because the server was not Korean or Japanese. The Justice Department says the previous chefs at the restaurant had not placed such racial limitations on hiring. Ichiba Ramen will undergo INA training and post notices in its restaurant about worker rights under INA.
“[This] settlement should serve as a reminder to small employers that hiring discrimination based on national origin violates the INA’s anti-discrimination provision, and the Justice Department is committed to holding employers accountable for such violations,” said John Gore, acting assistant attorney general of the Civil Rights Division, in a statement.
The Justice Department works to ensure cooperation with INA’s anti-discrimination provision, which mandates that employers with four to 14 employees cannot discriminate against individuals because of their national origin.