SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A participant in the federal program shielding young immigrants from deportation is suing a Silicon Valley company, saying she was denied a job she was qualified for despite being authorized to work in the U.S.
The case is one of several filed recently against major U.S. corporations that allegedly refused to employ people enrolled in the federal program known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA. It allows immigrants brought illegally to the U.S. as children to remain in the country.
On Tuesday, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund sued VMware in federal court in California, saying the software company violated the Civil Rights Act when it denied Sandy Vasquez a job.
VMware, according to the lawsuit, refuses to hire people authorized to work in the U.S. unless they are citizens, permanent residents or have a "transferrable visa" such as one given to highly skilled workers. Vasquez and others enrolled in DACA, as well as other immigrants such as those with temporary protected status, do not fall into these categories.
Palo Alto, California-based VMware said that while it does not comment on active lawsuits, it "hires and continues to employ DACA recipients."
"We also work with VMware employees who are DACA recipients, connecting them, at no cost, with our immigration provider and offering assistance as needed, while respecting their privacy around this issue," the company said in a statement.
MALDEF has filed several lawsuits in recent years on behalf of DACA recipients who were denied jobs or internships. Two have been settled and others are moving through the courts . Last year, a U.S. federal judge in Miami refused to dismiss a lawsuit filed by David Rodriguez against Proctor & Gamble Co. Rodriguez's application to work for the company was rejected...
