DOJ Sues Santa Clara Firm For Blocking US Workers From Tech Jobs

India-West News Desk

SANTA CLARA, CA- The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division has filed a lawsuit against Cloudera Inc., alleging the Santa Clara-based firm discriminated against U.S. workers while hiring for high-paying technology roles.

The complaint, filed with the Office of the Chief Administrative Hearing Officer, states the company violated the Immigration and Nationality Act by favoring candidates on temporary work visas over qualified domestic applicants.

“Employers cannot use the PERM sponsorship process as a backdoor for discriminating against U.S. workers,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division in a statement released by the agency. “The Division will not hesitate to sue companies who intentionally deter U.S. workers from applying to American jobs.”

According to the complaint, Cloudera created a separate recruitment process that deterred U.S. workers from applying for certain technology roles. The company allegedly directed applicants to an email account that could not receive external messages, preventing applications from being submitted.

The case follows a discrimination charge filed by a U.S. worker who reported receiving a bounce-back notification after attempting to apply through the listed email address.

The lawsuit is part of the Justice Department’s Protecting U.S. Workers Initiative, relaunched in 2025, targeting companies accused of favoring visa holders over U.S. workers. Officials said the division has secured ten settlements in the past year under the initiative.