The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is using the H-1B visa enforcement initiative Project Firewall to help crack down on hiring discrimination.
The EEOC has vowed to crack down on businesses that prefer to hire foreign workers by advertising job openings as only available to H-1B visa holders, releasing new and updated educational materials to reaffirm and emphasize legal protections against national origin discrimination.
Project Firewall was launched by the Department of Labor this fall, and aims to safeguard the rights, wages, and job opportunities of highly skilled American workers by ensuring employers prioritize qualified Americans when hiring.
The plan also includes enforcement actions to hold employers accountable if they abuse the H-1B visa program.
"Under President [Donald] Trump's leadership, we will continue working with our federal partners to put an end to bad practices and safeguard opportunities for American workers," Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer said.
As part of Project Firewall, the Department of Labor is sharing information and coordinating with other government agencies, including the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to combat unlawful discrimination against American workers.
Last week, Chavez-DeRemer told Newsmax her department has opened 175 investigations into potential H-1B visa abuse.
"Project Firewall is to protect the American worker," Chavez-DeRemer told Newsmax's "Newsline." "This administration has been very clear about looking through the lens of the American worker first."
The labor secretary said Project Firewall was designed to "put everyone on notice" that the Labor Department will act against those who undermine U.S. workers' opportunities.
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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