Authorities accuse Facebook of discriminating against Americans in hiring

The Trump administration accuses Facebook of discriminating against American workers in favor of foreigners with special visas to fill more than 2,600 high-paying jobs.

In a lawsuit announced Thursday, the Justice Department alleges that the social media company refused to recruit, consider or hire qualified U.S. workers for positions it had reserved for temporary visa holders. Facebook has sponsored visa holders for “green cards” allowing them to work permanently, according to the agency.

“Facebook intentionally created a recruiting system in which it denied skilled American workers a fair opportunity to inquire about and apply for jobs” which it instead sought to channel to temporary visa holders, said the Ministry of Justice in a press release.

Facebook disputes the Justice Department’s allegations but is cooperating with the agency during its investigation, a Facebook spokesperson told CBS MoneyWatch.

In the lawsuit, prosecutors accuse Facebook of hiring foreigners with temporary visas. Once on staff, the worker then applied to Facebook for a permanent position in order to remain in the United States. Facebook would create the post and then fill it with the stranger who requested it, the Justice Department alleged.

“The Department of Justice lawsuit alleges that Facebook engaged in intentional and widespread violations of the law, reserving positions for temporary visa holders instead of considering interested and qualified American workers,” the Minister said. Deputy Attorney General Eric Dreiband of the Civil Rights Division in a statement.

Facebook, which employs more than 52,000 people, would typically advertise a job offer on its company website and bring together hundreds of US applicants, according to the government. But the permanent jobs given to foreigners had no American candidates, according to the lawsuit.

“Facebook does not advertise positions on its website, does not accept online applications, and requires applicants to submit their applications by mail,” federal prosecutors said in the lawsuit.

The positions in question offered an average salary of approximately $ 156,000. The preference for foreign applicants was intentional, pervasive and was part of the company’s hiring practices from 2018 until at least September 2019, Justice Department officials say.

The agency is calling for civil penalties and unspecified wage arrears on behalf of American workers who have been denied jobs.

“Our message to all employers, including those in the tech sector, is clear,” Dreiband said. “You cannot illegally recruit, consider or hire temporary visa holders over American workers.”