McDonald's Must Pay $355,000 For Immigrant Discrimination

McDonald's has been ordered to pay a $355,000 settlement in a lawsuit that contended unlawful immigration hiring discrimination.The U.S. Department of Justice has concluded an investigation into an apparent longstanding practice at corporate-operated McDonald's locations (which only represent approximately 10 percent of all of their restaurants) where employers will require employees who are lawful permanent U.S. residents to show their Green Card when their original immigration papers have expired, a practice that is illegal in the United States.

"We deny any wrongdoing in this matter, but in order to avoid further expense, and to cooperate with the (Justice Department's) Office of Special Counsel, we reached a settlement," McDonald's said in a written statement.

In addition to the $355,000 settlement, McDonald's must also compensate employees whose jobs were lost because of the illegal practices. According to the Chicago Tribune, any employee who worked at a company-owned McDonald's between Sept. 23, 2012, and March 1, 2015, may be eligible for compensation. McDonald's will also be having its employees undergo anti-discrimination training to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future.