DOJ accuses Facebook of discriminating against American workers, giving high-paying jobs to H-1B visa holders
'Facebook intentionally created a hiring system in which it denied qualified U.S. workers a fair opportunity to learn about and apply for jobs,' the DOJ said
The Trump administration is suing Facebook for allegedly hiring immigrant workers for high-paying jobs rather than looking for Americans to fill the role.
The Justice Department, in a 17-page complaint filed Thursday, accused the social media giant of inadequately advertising some 2,600 positions that were filled immigrants with H-1B high skill visas.
FILE: The Facebook logo is displayed on an iPad in Philadelphia. (AP)
The DOJ further alleges that the tech giant refused to recruit, consider, or hire qualified and available U.S. workers for the positions that Facebook reserved for temporary visa holders. Facebook sponsored the visa holders for "green cards" authorizing them to work permanently.
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"Facebook intentionally created a hiring system in which it denied qualified U.S. workers a fair opportunity to learn about and apply for jobs" that it instead sought to channel to temporary visa holders," the Justice Department said in a news release.
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The positions at issue offered an average salary of around $156,000. The department is seeking unspecified civil penalties and back pay on behalf of U.S. workers denied employment.
The Wall Street Journal was the first to report on the lawsuit, while FOX Business has independently confirmed. FOX Business has reached out to Facebook but did not hear back by the time of publication. A company spokesperson told the Journal that Facebook disputes the allegations but “has been cooperating with the DOJ.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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