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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE TO HOLD WORKSHOPS ON

WASHINGTON, D.C. - In an effort to educate employers, workers, and the general public about legal protections against immigration-related employment discrimination, the Justice Department's Office of Special Council for Immigration Related Unfair Employment Practices (OSC) will sponsor two informational workshops in Aspen, Colorado. In conjunction with Roaring Fork Legal Services, federal agencies and partners in the Aspen/Carbondale area, two informational workshops will be held on Thursday, April 13, 2000. A workshop for employers will be held from 1:15 to 5:00 p.m., and a community meeting for workers will be held from 6:30-9:00 p.m. Both workshops will be held at the Gant Conference Centers, 610 West End Street, Aspen.

People with potential discrimination claims will hear from attorneys from OSC, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Department of Labor, about the rights and the remedies available to them under the law.

Since 1986, when it became illegal to knowingly hire undocumented workers, employers have been required to check employment eligibly of all new hires - citizens and non-citizens alike. However, in an effort to comply with this requirement, some employers go beyond what is required and single out individuals because of their accent, their appearance, their name or their citizenship status. "This is an ongoing and ever-growing problem," said John Trasviña, Special Counsel for Immigration Related Unfair Employment Practices. "It is our mission , not only to obtain relief for victims of discrimination, but also to work very hard to educate workers and employers about their rights and responsibilities under the law."

For more information about the workshop, please call Kathy Goudy or Ricardo Martinez at Roaring Fork Legal Services at (970)920-2828 or Jill Moschak with OSC at (800)255-7688 or (202) 514-2637.

For more information about protections against discrimination under the immigration laws, call toll-free, 1-800-255-7688, or (202) 616-5594 or write to:

Office of Special Counsel for Immigration Related Unfair Employment Practices

Civil Rights Division, Department of Justice

Post Office Box 27728

Washington, D.C. 20038-7728

Email: osc.crt@usdoj.gov