The U.S. Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against an Arizona community college for requiring its prospective employees to show proof of a green card before hiring them.

Officials at the Phoenix-area Maricopa Community Colleges are alleged to have acted illegally in their practice of requiring non-citizens to bring in a green card before they could start working.

The lawsuit comes after a year of investigations into the community colleges.  In 18 months, almost 250 non-citizen prospective employees of the community college were required to bring in green cards and other proof of work-eligibility documents not required by federal law before being hired.

The Immigration and Nationality Act states, “it [is] unlawful to treat authorized workers differently during the hiring process based on their citizenship status”.

If you or someone you know is seeking a green card application, contact the Orange County green card attorneys of Garg & Associates P.C. at 949-540-6704 to learn more about your rights.