WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department and the Denver Sheriff Department on Monday resolved claims that the law enforcement agency had discriminated against immigrants seeking jobs.
A Justice Department probe had found that from the start of 2015 through March 23, 2016, the Denver Sheriff Department had required applicants for deputy sheriff jobs to be U.S. citizens and posted job openings with citizenship requirements, the federal agency said in a statement.
The Denver Sheriff Department, the biggest sheriff's office in Colorado, had no exception from the Immigration and Nationality Act, the statement said.
The law says that employers cannot limit jobs to U.S. citizens unless they are required to do so by law, executive order, government contract or regulation.
Under the settlement, the Denver Sheriff Department will pay $10,000 in civil penalties. It also will identify and consider applicants who may have been disqualified from being weighed for deputy sheriff positions due to the citizenship requirement, the Justice Department statement said.
The department will train its human resources staff on the Immigration and Nationality Act's anti-discrimination provisions and will review its policies to comply with those provisions.
The Denver Sheriff Department had no immediate comment on the settlement.
(Reporting by Ian Simpson; Editing by Alan Crosby)
