John Jay College of Criminal Justice Accused of Discrimination against Lawful Immigrants

Nina Berstein of the N.Y. Times reports that the Justice Department filed a lawsuit on Friday against John Jay College of Criminal Justice, part of the City University of New York, alleging that the school engaged in a pattern of job discrimination against noncitizens who were authorized to work. The suit, the first in years claiming immigration-related discrimination against noncitizens, says the college violated provisions of immigration law by demanding extra work authorization from at least 103 individuals since 2007, rather than accepting the work-eligibility documents required of U.S. citizens, such as a Social Security card and a driver’s license.

A woman helped trigger the investigation when she complained in 2008 to the Justice Department’s Office of Special Counsel for Immigration-Related Unfair Employment Practices. She called the special counsel after she was fired from her job as a part-time computer lab assistant at the college.

KJ