The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that it secured a settlement agreement with Second Nature, a nonprofit organization based in Massachusetts, on May 9, 2024. The agreement resolves DOJ’s determination that Second Nature violated the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) by posting discriminatory job advertisements that deterred non-U.S. citizens from applying for open positions.
DOJ explained that after opening an investigation based on a worker’s complaint, its Civil Rights Division’s Immigrant and Employee Rights Section (IER) concluded that “Second Nature posted a job advertisement inviting applications only from U.S. citizens. In doing so, the company deterred non-U.S. citizens with permission to work (such as people granted asylum or refugee status, and lawful permanent residents) from applying to the job advertisements and being fairly considered for the employment opportunities.” The investigation also determined that “the lawful permanent resident who filed the complaint was deterred from applying for the job because of the discriminatory language in the posting.”
Under the settlement, Second Nature will pay a $4,610 civil penalty to the United States and pay the affected worker $904 in lost wages. The agreement also requires the company to train those employees who recruit on the INA’s requirements, revise its employment policies, and be subject to monitoring and reporting requirements.
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