FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                      CR
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 1994                                     (202) 616-2765
                                                           TDD (202) 514-1888


                 JUSTICE DEPARTMENT AWARDS NINE GRANTS TO
      EDUCATE EMPLOYERS AND WORKERS ABOUT IMMIGRATION DISCRIMINATION

     WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Nine community-based organizations across
the nation will receive nearly one million dollars in grants to
educate workers and employers about immigration-related employment
discrimination, the Justice Department announced today.
     Three of the organizations are located in Los Angeles, and the
others are located in Dallas, San Diego, San Francisco, Miami,
Washington, D.C., and New York City.
     The grants, awarded by the Office of Special Counsel for
Immigration-Related Unfair Employment Practices of the Civil Rights
Division (OSC), will educate employers about their responsibilities
and workers about their rights under the Immigration and
Nationality Act (INA), also known as the Immigration and Reform
Control Act (IRCA).  The funds total $900,000 and range from
$54,000 to $150,000.
     "We must not only enforce antidiscrimination laws, but ensure
that victims of discrimination know their rights and that employers
know their responsibilities," said OSC Special Counsel William Ho-
Gonzalez.  "This grant program will tap into the expertise and
credibility of community-based organizations and employer groups,
which are ideally suited for implementing effective public
education efforts." 
     The following nine recipients were selected from a national
pool of 115 community-based organizations:

    American Council on International Personnel, New York, New
     York;
     
    Asian Pacific American Legal Center, Los Angeles, California;
     
    Catholic Charities, Dallas, Texas;

    Catholic Charities, San Diego, California;

    La Raza Centro Legal, Inc., San Francisco, California;

    Little Havana Development Authority, Inc., Miami, Florida;

    Mexican American Grocers Association Foundation, Los Angeles,
     California;
     
    National Immigration Law Center, Los Angeles, California;

    Organization of Chinese Americans, Washington, D.C.


     The funds will be used to conduct a multi-lingual educational
program for workers and employers both at worksites and within
outlying neighborhoods.  The recipients will use the funds to
educate persons through individual counseling, community
presentations and seminars which will be open to the public.  
     For additional information about INA's antidiscrimination
provision write to:
          Office of Special Counsel for Immigration
               Related Unfair Employment Practices
          Civil Rights Division, Department of Justice
          P.O. Box 27728
          Washington, D.C.  20038-7728  

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