Executive summary: In a February 19, 2025 press release U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Acting Chair Andrea Lucas asserted the agency’s commitment to protecting American workers from national origin discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Lucas warned employers, staffing agencies, and other entities against engaging in illegal hiring preferences that disadvantage American workers, stating that those contributing to the immigration crisis or abusing legal immigration programs must comply with the law.
In a February 19, 2025 U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Press Release, EEOC Acting Chair Vows to Protect American Workers from Anti-American Bias, Acting EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas is quoted as announcing:
"The EEOC is putting employers and other covered entities on notice: if you are part of the pipeline contributing to our immigration crisis or abusing our legal immigration system via illegal preferences against American workers, you must stop. The law applies to you, and you are not above the law. The EEOC is here to protect all workers from unlawful national origin discrimination, including American workers."
The press release, citing Title VII's prohibition of national origin discrimination, goes on to state:
"Rigorously enforcing existing - but sometimes under-enforced - labor and employment laws is one key to shifting the economic incentives of businesses and workers. The EEOC will help deter illegal migration and reduce the abuse of legal immigration programs by increasing enforcement of employment antidiscrimination laws against employers that illegally prefer non-American workers, as well as against staffing agencies and other agents that unlawfully comply with client companies’ illegal preferences against American workers."
"Title VII" refers to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 codified at 42 USC 2000e-2, Unlawful employment practices. 42 USC 2000e-2(a) provides:
It shall be an unlawful employment practice for an employer-
(1) to fail or refuse to hire or to discharge any individual, or otherwise to discriminate against any individual with respect to his compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment, because of such individual's race, color, religion, sex, or national origin; or
(2) to limit, segregate, or classify his employees or applicants for employment in any way which would deprive or tend to deprive any individual of employment opportunities or otherwise adversely affect his status as an employee, because of such individual's race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.