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
     
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