FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE OSC THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 1995 (202) 616-2765 TDD (202) 514-1888 IMMIGRATION ANTI-DISCRIMINATION GRANTS AWARDED WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Department of Justice announced today that 14 non-profit organizations in major cities across America will receive nearly $1.3 million in grants to conduct public education programs for workers and employers about immigration-related discrimination. "The first line of defense against discrimination is education and prevention," said William Ho-Gonzalez, Special Counsel for Immigration-Related Employment Practices, whose office is part of the Department's Civil Rights Division. Often employers and workers are confused about work eligibility requirements for non-citizens. Federal law requires that all job applicants prove their eligibility to work in the United States by providing employers with some combination of documents such as birth certificates, green cards, social security cards or a drivers license. But, under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), employers may not require additional documentation, and an applicant is free to provide documentation of his or her choosing. The law also states that an employer may not deny a job to an applicant simply because the applicant appears foreign. The grants, which range from $50,000 to $150,000, will go to organizations representing both employers and employees to promote anti-discrimination awareness nationwide and in local communities. Grant recipients are: Advocates for Basic Legal Equality Toledo, Ohio Asian Pacific American Legal Center Los Angeles, California Catholic Charities, Diocese of Beaumont Beaumont, Texas Catholic Charities of Dallas, Dallas, Texas Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. Washington, D.C. Coalition of Florida Farmworker Organizations Homestead, Florida Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles Los Angeles, California Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Protection Chicago, Illinois International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union (ILGWU) New York, New York National Council of Agricultural Employers Washington, D.C. National Immigration Law Center Los Angeles, California The New York Immigration Coalition New York, New York La Raza, Centro Legal San Francisco, California South Dade Immigration Association Homestead, Florida For more information about INA's anti-discrimination provisions, write to: Office of Special Counsel for Immigration Related Unfair Employment Practices Civil Rights Division, Department of Justice P.O. Box 27728 Washington, D.C. 20038-7728 # # # 95-486