A Chattanooga trucking company will be forced to pay the federal government $700,000 for what the government said were discriminatory hiring practices.
“The Justice Department announced today that it has secured a $700,000 agreement with Covenant Transport Inc. (Covenant), as well as the affiliated entity Transport Management Services LLC (Transport), two transportation logistics and long-haul trucking companies headquartered in Chattanooga, Tennessee,” said a press release from the Department of Justice. “The agreement resolves the department’s determination that the company violated the anti-discrimination provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) by routinely discriminating against non-U.S. citizen workers when checking their permission to work in the United States.”
According to the DOJ, Covenant and Transport “routinely discriminated against non-U.S. citizens by requiring lawful permanent residents to show their Permanent Resident Cards (known as green cards) and by requiring other non-U.S. citizens to show documents related to their immigration status.”
“Employers cannot discriminate against non-U.S. citizens by demanding specific or unnecessary documents from them to prove their permission to work,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, according to the release. “The Justice Department is committed to ensuring compliance with our federal civil rights laws so that non-U.S. citizens with permission to work can contribute their talents to our workforce.”
The companies asked non-citizens to provide them with “List A” documents when “List B” or “List C” documents would suffice. For that, they were found to violate the anti-discrimination law.
Kevin Lynn is the executive director for the Institute for Sound Public Policy, which advocates for American workers. He explained the distinction in the documentation for The Tennessee Star.
“What is off-putting about this case is it was settled to resolve the investigation without further delay or expense versus a preponderance of the evidence of actual wrongdoing related to the allegation the respondents who ‘routinely required lawful permanent residents and aliens authorized to work . . . to produce List A documents during the employment eligibility process because of their immigration status,'” he said. “It makes a lot of sense for an employer to ask for List A documents (U.S. passport or Permanent Resident Card) because it reduces the burden on prospective hire to produce valid List B and List C documents (driver’s license or state issued ID card and/or social security card).”
Lynn called the practice “lawfare.”
“The U.S. Government seems to be engaging in lawfare based on questionable claims of unfair employment practices of aliens rather than focusing its efforts on behaviors that displace American workers,” he said.
He also noted that the $700,000 fine for the trucking companies seems disproportionately high when compared to fines levied against some of America’s largest corporations.
“Further, given the fines recently levied against companies such as Apple ($2.96 trillion market cap) and Facebook ($871 billion market cap) of $25 million and $15 million respectively for discrimination against American workers, the $700,000 levied against Covenant ($548 million) and Transport (privately held, data not available) for requiring lawful permanent residents to show their Permanent Resident Cards (known as green cards) and requiring other non-U.S. citizens to show documents related to their immigration status, seems excessive and further evidence the [Office of Immigrant and Employee Rights] is more interested in assisting aliens than Americans.
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Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter/X.
Photo “Covenant Transport” by Covenant Logistics.
I would check the Tennessee State Constitution. State overrides Federal. Laws protecting the rights of non citizens to work is not in the constitution.
A must see for every American
https://libertyfirstsociety.com/noncompliant-a-documentary-film/
Impeach Merrick Garland and Joe Biden Now!
The destruction of these United States is in full frontal assault by Joe Biden and his Lawyers at the Federal Department of Injustice.
It’s all fine until someone puts an eye out.
Join TN Citizen for State Sovereignty and take back our Constitution and our freedom. tncss.substack.com and our website is tncss.weebly.com Nullification is not a theory it is a responsibility. It is the last peaceful solution left.
Whatever happened to E-verify? This is yet another example of the hundreds of instances where Biden’s puppet masters are blatantly violating U.S. law and the Constitution.
In an instance in Vermont, a Hispanic truck driver caused a major traffic incident because he couldn’t read English. How in the hell do you get a commercial drivers license when you can’t read English????
The majority of Americans now see the total failure of the Biden administration and the Marxist democrats and are waiting for the election to show their dissatisfaction. The donks know they are going to loose no matter how much they cheat. This is why I believe there will be no election even if they have to start world war three.
Is that a State Law or Federal Law? Where can it be found? How many business owners are not aware of this so-called law?
Personally, I think there should be a law passed in Tennessee, that requires proof of one’s Status, whether green card or visa), it should be illegal to hire aliens who entered this country illegally.
It is only a crime if our Governor and AG do not have the spine to tell the feds to shove off.
I honestly expected a quote from Cameron Sexton thanking Biden’s DOJ for being committed to punishing lawbreakers.
Excuse me but is not against federal law to hire illegals??? Well people just do not hire anyone with an accent. How about that? This is crazy. I would take that to the supreme court. There are laws against hiring illegals and undocumented worker. Our Governor and AG need to grow a spine and tell the federal government to take a hike. Where in federal law does it say you are not allowed to verify proper citizenship to work in the US. The federal government has no authority to tell private business that they can do. All the Governor has to do is say the law is unconstitutional and stick to it. Where in the 18 enumerated powers given to the federal government do they have the authority to even pass discrimination laws or govern how private business operates within its own state? It is time we forced the federal government back in their lane. The final arbiter of the Constitution is the states and the people. Look it up folks. This is why in TN we are going to pass legislation that creates a process in which to invoke Nullification EVERY time the feds get out of their lane. And do not let people scare you off using federal funding. They cannot take away federal money to punish a state for following the Constitution. And if there is some money attached (in this case there is no money attached) we would be better off without their ball and chain around our neck. WAKE UP the federal government is not a friend to the states or the people and it is the states and the people that rule over the federal government and that includes the Supreme Court, not the other way around.
Absolutely ridiculous. Every employee must show documentation to be employed. Employers should be required to verify applicants for work .
Wow, making sure someone you hire has proper legal status is now a crime. This is CRAZY! Meanwhile back at the bank, I (a native born US citizen) has to produce items from List A AND List B just to open a bank account.
This is so Fu#%ed up! The overreaching government makes it cheaper and easier for them to pay the fine than go to court – for doing the right thing. And now, they will no longer be fully vetting their potential employees – many of whom will be in big rigs driving down our highways.
The DOJ is so screwed up it isn’t funny – it is downright scary.