Staffing Agency, DOJ Settle Immigration-Related Bias Allegations

The Department of Justice has reached a settlement with Mountain Prairie Holdings LLC, a Colorado-based staffing agency, which it claims illegally required workers to present immigration documents.

The DOJ announced Tuesday that the staffing agency will pay a $7,588 fine for violations of the Immigration and Nationality Act. The company, which used to operate as Apprentice Personnel, routinely told non-US citizen employees to show the papers, despite having already submitted sufficient forms of documentation to prove work eligibility, the DOJ said.

The INA permits workers the right to choose which documents they produce to prove their identity and prohibits employers from demanding more documentation than is required by law. The statute’s anti-discrimination provision prevents employers from asking for specific documents on the basis of a worker’s “citizenship, immigration status or national origin.”

Under the settlement, the Colorado Springs-based staffing agency also will be subjected to a three-year monitoring period by the DOJ. During that period, the staffing agency must train existing employees on the INA’s anti-discrimination provisions and review its hiring policies to ensure they comply with immigration law.

A representative for Mountain Prairie Holdings couldn’t be immediately reached for comment Tuesday.