‘H-1B workers ONLY’: US firm fined $313,420 after DOJ exposes illegal hiring bias

Amid the ongoing crackdown on illegal immigration in America, numerous independent reporters have taken on the task of exposing fraud by H-1B workers. One such New Jersey-based firm exposed by Blaze TV reporter Sara Gonzales was recently fined by the Department of Justice for illegal hiring practices. DOJ announced that it has reached a settlement with Compunnel Software Group Inc., according to which, the company signalled its intent to hire employees based on citizenship status, specifically favouring H-1B visa holders or related temporary employment-based visa holders. As per the press release by the department, the professional services provider violated the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) when its recruiters posted job advertisements for positions in US that included citizenship status restrictions not authorised by the law. An email sent to the “charging party” indicated that the company wanted “only” temporary visa holders for a particular position. Gonzalezs, a reporter for far-right media company, Blaze Media, initially ‘exposed’ the company for posting job roles on LinkedIn with ‘H-1B workers ONLY’ criteria. She took to X to share the news, writing “After my February report on the illegal discrimination against American workers, the DOJ has taken action against at least one of the companies I exposed.”Now, the firm has agreed to pay $58,000 to the charging party, an American citizen who was excluded from consideration for a position as a Python Developer based on his citizenship status. Moreover, it has agreed to pay civil penalties to the US Treasury in the amount of $255,420 and taken steps to train and monitor its recruiters. “It’s illegal to discourage U.S. workers from applying for American jobs. Employers cannot exclude U.S. workers from the labour force by discriminating against them based on their citizenship status. Employers must design recruitment, training, and compliance practices to ensure adherence to federal civil rights laws,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. This marks the ninth settlement the DOJ has delivered since the revival of its Protecting US Workers Initiative in 2025, enforcing the INA Act.