Tech giant pays millions to settle claims it discriminated against American citizens

Apple will pay $25 million to settle claims that it unlawfully discriminated against U.S. citizens and some non-U.S. citizens in its hiring process, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Thursday.

The DOJ alleged that Apple breached the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) in its hiring efforts for roles covered by the permanent labor certification program (PERM), according to the announcement. PERM enables employers to “sponsor” employees for “lawful permanent resident status” in the U.S. and bars employers from engaging in unlawful hiring discrimination due to citizenship or immigration status.

APPLE AGREES TO $25 MILLION SETTLEMENT WITH US OVER HIRING OF IMMIGRANTS (Reuters)

Apple Inc will pay $25 million to settle claims by the U.S. Department of Justice that the company illegally favored immigrant workers over U.S. citizen and green card holders for certain jobs pic.twitter.com/6aGu7CmGHE

— FXHedge (@Fxhedgers) November 10, 2023

Apple allegedly neglected to promote positions on its external jobs website that it desired to hire through PERM, deviating from its usual practice of advertising positions on the site. This practice adversely impacted “U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, lawful permanent residents, and those granted asylum or refugee status.”

“Creating unlawful barriers that make it harder for someone to seek a job because of their citizenship status will not be tolerated,” DOJ Civil Rights Division Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke stated. “This resolution reflects the Civil Rights Division’s commitment to ending illegal discriminatory employment practices.”

The recruitment practices “allowed Apple to fill the positions with temporary visa holders,” according to the settlement.

“Apple proudly employs more than 90,000 people in the United States and continues to invest nationwide, creating millions of jobs,” an Apple spokesperson told CNBC. “When we realized we had unintentionally not been following the DOJ standard, we agreed to a settlement addressing their concerns. We have implemented a robust remediation plan to comply with the requirements of various government agencies as we continue to hire American workers and grow in the U.S.”

The $25 million settlement is the biggest sum the DOJ has obtained under the anti-discrimination provision of the INA, according to the announcement.

Apple and the DOJ did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

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