Department of Justice
Office of Public Affairs
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, September 28, 2009
Justice Department Announced Public Education Campaign Grants to Fight Immigration-Related Employment Discrimination

WASHINGTON – The Justice Department today announced that it has awarded $723,000 in grants to twelve groups serving communities throughout the country, to conduct public education programs for workers and employers about federal protections against immigration-related job discrimination.

The grants, which range from $48,000 to $87,000, are being awarded by the Office of Special Counsel for Immigration-Related Unfair Employment Practices (OSC) of the department’s Civil Rights Division. Recipients will assist discrimination victims; conduct seminars for workers, employers and immigration service providers; distribute educational materials in various languages; and place advertisements in local communities through both mainstream and ethnic media to educate workers and employers about their rights.

OSC enforces the anti-discrimination provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), which protects U.S. and authorized immigrant workers against citizenship and national origin discrimination. As part of its mission, OSC also educates workers and their employers about the anti-discrimination provision.

“Awarding grants to professional and community-based organizations better enables us to educate workers and employers about their rights and responsibilities under federal immigration law,â€