Avoiding Discrimination and Retaliation

It is unlawful to discriminate against or harass employees because of their ethnic background or national origin, or to exclude applicants lawfully entitled to work in the United States for similar reasons. These prohibitions are contained in numerous overlapping statutes at the federal and state levels. The Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) also discusses citizenship and discrimination requirements.

California has many protections for immigrant workers, making it unlawful to engage in “unfair immigration-related practices” against workers who exercise their rights under the Labor Code, such as complaining about minimum wage violations.¹ For more information, see