Under federal law, it is illegal to discriminate against any employee, regardless of his or her immigration status. The Immigration and Nationality Act, or INA, disallows discrimination based on citizenship status. There are many employment terms related to immigrant status of workers at any workplace, so it’s important to know how immigrants face harassment and discrimination in their workplace environment.
What Are the Different Immigration Terms in Relation to Harassment?
Immigrants can either be labeled as undocumented, illegal, or legal immigrants in their place of work. An undocumented worker is a foreign-born person who is not a permanent resident and is not a U.S. citizen. Undocumented immigrants usually are people whose immigration status is not yet resolved. These types of immigrants usually face a lot of racial and sexual discrimination at their job. They might find that they can’t defend themselves because of their vulnerable and fragile work position, so they can be easy subjects of bullying and discrimination by other workers.
Illegal immigrants are foreigners who have entered or currently reside in a country illegally or without the country’s authorization. They can be deported at any time. Many times, these people entered the U.S. legally but then lost their legal status. They face harsh discrimination at the workplace because they are seen as illegal people rather than just people with an illegal status. Employers in California who have illegal immigrant workers are also at fault for many employment law violations, such as wage theft, discrimination, failure to pay overtime, and poor work environments.
If you are an undocumented or illegal immigrant working in California who has suffered harassment based on your citizenship status, you have the right to file a lawsuit. Our lawyers at Kesluk, Silverstein, Jacob & Morrison, P.C. are skilled in employment law and can help get the justice you deserve, so contact us today.