Justice Dept. fines Maryland business $300k for asking immigrants for 'specific' work documents

The U.S. Department of Justice has hit a Maryland business with a hefty $300,000 fine after it was discovered asking immigrant workers for specific documentation of their right to work in the U.S. 

The DOJ said in a press release on Thursday that janitorial company Professional Maintenance Management "discriminated against its non-U.S. citizen workers when checking their permission to work in the United States."

The company was reportedly demanding that noncitizens provide "specific documents" in order to "prove they had permission to work in the United States."

"Federal law allows workers to choose which valid, legally acceptable documentation to present to demonstrate their identity and permission to work, regardless of citizenship, immigration status, or national origin," the Justice Department said. 

The company "will pay a civil penalty of $300,000 to the United States," the DOJ said, and it will also "train staff on the INA’s anti-discrimination provision, change its policies, and be subject to departmental monitoring for a three-year period."