If the GAO finds a major problem. a MALDEP official said. Congress might repeal employer sanctions. which the organization tias consistently opposed. In a summary of what it said were hundreds of cases Investigated by MALDEF attorneys. the organization said many employers have been unfamiliar with the different documents that can be used to prove a right to work and have Insisted on seeing an Immigration and Naturalization Service "green card." only one of many possibilities. IRCA allowed any undocumented alien who had lived in the United States before Jan. 1. 1982. to seek legal residence status. but MALDEF said it found "employers who have fired legalization applicants who requested assistance with their legalization applications or who used aliases or invalid social security numbers." The report Said some employers then hired such people back as "now employees" with reduced wages and benefits. In one case. the report said. a legal resident accountant from Colombia was denied a job with a major Insurance company because he was not a U.S. citizen. When told such discrimination was Illegal. the personnel officer replied: "You can think what you want. and besides. you have a strong accent and I have difficulty understanding you.
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Naturalization Immigration undocumented green card