November 24, 2025
EEOC & DOL Announce Partnership in “Project Firewall”
Just five days after publishing updated guidance on national origin discrimination, the EEOC and U.S. the Department of Labor (DOL) announced their partnership in Project Firewall to combat illegal national origin discrimination, particularly against American workers. The project “ensures employers prioritize qualified Americans when hiring and includes enforcement actions to hold employers accountable if they abuse the H-1B visa program.”
The DOL will conduct investigations of employers through Project Firewall to maximize H-1B program compliance. To achieve this goal, the Secretary of Labor will personally certify the initiation of investigations for the first time in the department’s history if reasonable cause exists that an H-1B employer not in compliance.
Secretary-certified investigations, as well as other H-1B-related investigations, are important tools the department will use in Project Firewall to hold employers accountable and protect the rights of American workers. Violations may result in the collection of back wages owed to affected workers, the assessment of civil money penalties, and/or debarment from future use of the H-1B program for a prescribed period of time.
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