On Wednesday, a group formed by former Trump administration officials accused Tyson Foods of discriminating against American citizens during its recruitment process, preferring to hire immigrants, including children and undocumented residents.
America First Legal (AFL) has sent letters to the Department of Justice, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and civil rights agencies in Iowa, requesting an investigation into the hiring practices of the meat processing company headquartered in Arkansas.
The letters mentioned that Tyson has employed over 42,000 foreign workers, accounting for more than a third of its workforce in the United States and is actively recruiting more foreign workers.
According to data from the Economic Policy Institute, over half of all meat processing workers in the United States are immigrants, while the proportion of immigrants in the entire U.S. workforce is about 17%.
AFL claims that Tyson has leveraged the surge in illegal border crossings last year to build a reservoir of cheap labor.
The organization is led by Stephen Miller, a senior advisor to former Republican President Donald Trump, known for his hard stance on immigration issues. Matthew Whitaker, a former Acting U.S. Attorney General, is a board member of the organization, which includes lawyers who have worked in the Department of Justice during Trump's term.
AFL pointed out that a major food sanitation company working with Tyson and other meat processing plants recently paid a $1.5 million fine for employing minors in hazardous jobs. Although Tyson Foods was not accused of any wrongdoing, some minors had worked in its factories.
AFL accuses Tyson of violating federal and Iowa state laws that prohibit employment discrimination based on citizenship status, race, nationality, and other characteristics.
A spokesperson for Tyson said in a statement that the company is firmly against illegal immigration and does not allow anyone under the age of 18 to work in its facilities.
"Any implication that we discriminate against American workers in favor of hiring immigrant workers is completely wrong. Today, Tyson Foods has 120,000 team members in the United States, all of whom must be legally authorized to work in the country," the spokesperson said.
The Department of Justice, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and Iowa agencies are not obliged to respond to these complaints or conduct investigations. If they pursue an investigation and find the complaint to be valid, they might seek a settlement with Tyson or file a lawsuit against the company.
AFL has filed over 30 complaints against the diversity policies of several large U.S. companies, which are accused of discriminating against men or white, Asian, and heterosexual workers. However, the complaint against Tyson appears to be the organization's first to involve charges of bias against American workers.
The committee has yet to indicate whether it is investigating these complaints.
