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Department of Justice Files Lawsuit Against UCSD Medical Center for Employee Discrimination

The Department of Justice filed a claim against UCSD Medical Center for discrimination against workers who are not citizens of the United States. The lawsuit claims that the medical center discriminated against the international workers by ordering them to verify, and occasionally re-verify, their working eligibility.

Simultaneously, the examination discovered that the medical center did not require that country’s citizens show documentation, by not adhering U.S. citizens to the same hiring standards, the medical center is said to have dishonored a specification of the Immigration and Nationality Acts, which disallows workers from implementing additional requirements for documentation based on national origin or citizenship.

"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," said Thomas E. Perez, assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division, in a statement released by the Justice Department. "We are committed to vigorously protecting authorized workers from discrimination in the hiring process and ensuring that employers uphold their obligations under the law," he added.
The claim requests that UCSD Medical Center stop requesting excessive  amounts of information and documentation, and mandates that the center compensate civil fines and any damages caused as a result of the unfair worker practices.

A spokeswoman for the UCSD Medical Center said the medical center has not yet viewed the lawsuit. But she said the medical center has been complying with the DOJ since January, and is now adhering to federal laws and regulations. No worker was denied job placement because of this dilemma, she said.
The Civil Rights Division’s Office of Special Counsel for Immigration-Related Unfair Employment Practices (OSC) is liable for mandating the anti-discrimination regulations of the INA, which safeguards work-authorized people against discrimination in the workplace including aspects surrounding hiring and firing.