first on fox, Senator J.D. Vance, R-Ohiois seeking answers from the Justice Department about companies allegedly hiring migrant workers on US citizens despite federal law requiring them to do so.
In a letter to Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Kristen Clarke and Immigrant and Employee Rights Division Chief Alberto Ruizánchez, Vance expressed his concerns about whether the DOJ is “honestly carrying out its statutory duty” to protect American workers. Protect America from employment practices that privilege asylum seekers, parolees, and other aliens over American citizens.”
The letter was sent Wednesday and was also signed by Sens. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala.
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Vance expressed his concerns about whether American workers are being protected. (Reuters/Evelyn Hockstein)
Vance notes that under Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), US citizens are “protected” and cannot be discriminated against in hiring processes because of their status as a US citizen. Under the same law, unauthorized aliens are not exempt from discrimination in the hiring process.
Summarizing the law, Vance wrote that American citizens are actually “more than protected – they are prioritized.”
The Ohio senator pointed to recent reports of companies specifically looking to hire migrants seeking asylum in the US. One such report that incensed border security advocates was that of Tyson Foods, in which Bloomberg News The company’s efforts to solicit and hire asylum seekers, who are not protected under the INA, for jobs were described in detail.
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As the southern border remains unsafe, asylum-seeking migrants continue to enter the US (David Penado/Anadolu via Getty Images)
According to the outlet, The company met with migrants from Venezuela, Mexico and Colombia in February and hired 17 asylum seekers for roles at a plant in Humboldt, Tennessee. The company then reportedly hired an additional 70 asylum seekers in March.
Fox News Digital contacted Tyson Foods to confirm the report but did not receive a response. The company rejected “misinformation” that it would fire US employees for hiring immigrants in the wake of reports, and said it “strongly opposes illegal immigration.” But it did not address the claims of hiring asylum seekers in its public statement.
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Under the INA, individuals who are admitted to the United States as refugees or granted asylum are considered protected. However, the organization Tyson Foods is working with, Tent Partnership for Refugees did not differentiate clearly between refugees and individuals who are still seeking asylum, or whether its definition of the terms is the same as that of the US government.
Attorney General Merrick Garland leads the Justice Department. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Furthermore, despite potential legal recognition of hiring refugees, companies joining the non-profit coalition face charges of INA violations. While the law does not allow protected groups to be hired based on origin or citizenship status, it also does not allow it to favor workers because of their status and potentially give them preferential treatment over American workers.
Vance said it appears the DOJ’s IER is spending more time enforcing anti-discrimination provisions for non-citizens than U.S. citizens and ensuring their protection in the hiring process. He cited the number of anti-discrimination press releases from the IER over a two-year period and how many of them were addressing the rights of citizens, non-citizens or both.
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He said the disparity “may be defensible if discriminatory employers rarely favor aliens, or if discrimination against U.S. citizens is becoming less of a problem, but instead discrimination against U.S. citizens is becoming increasingly common. “
Vance is asking whether the quota commitments some companies have made are a violation of the INA. (Nathan Howard/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Vance claimed that “employers have taken advantage of the IER’s generosity.” He said many of the companies in the tent coalition have committed to various quotas for hiring refugees. “The INA prohibits hiring decisions that are made because of a U.S. job seeker’s U.S. citizenship. Can numerical hiring quotas of employers co-exist with that mandate?”.
The Ohio Republican asked DOJ officials if it is “currently investigating any companies illegally using refugee admissions quotas?” And how many such investigations have taken place in the last two years? He also asked whether the IER would initiate an investigation if it had not done so yet.
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Tenet did not respond at the time of publication to Fox News Digital’s request for clarification regarding the definitions of refugee and asylum and whether they are consistent with the US government.
The DOJ did not provide comment to Fox News Digital in time for publication.
