US Justice Department penalises company for favouring H-1B workers
The
US Justice Department
recently announced a settlement with
Epik Solutions
, a tech recruiting company based in California, for violating the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).
Epik Solutions was found to have favoured foreign
H-1B visa
holders over US workers in its recruitment practices.
This settlement is significant as it's the first since the department relaunched its "Protecting US Workers Initiative," which aims to crack down on companies that illegally discriminate against American workers in favour of foreign visa workers.
As part of the agreement, Epik Solutions will:
* Pay $71,916 in civil penalties to the US government.
* Undergo training.
* Revise its employment policies.
* Stop placing job advertisements that unlawfully exclude U.S. workers.
"Protecting American workers from unlawful discrimination in favor of foreign visa workers is a top priority of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division," said assistant attorney general for civil rights, Harmeet K. Dhillon.
She added that companies engaging in such discrimination are now on notice that "the days of the federal government looking the other way on
American workforce protection
are over."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
17 minutes ago
- Time of India
Xi Jinping hits Trump where it hurts - US struggles to build weapons as China blocks rare earth exports
Rare earth metals China vs US: China's restrictions on rare earth metal exports are creating a crisis for the US defense industry, impacting production of critical military equipment. American defense firms are facing shortages and delays, with some tapping into emergency reserves. Experts warn that this dependence on China gives Beijing leverage in trade negotiations. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads China Cuts Off Critical Minerals, Crippling US Defense Manufacturing US Defense Firms Tap Emergency Reserves Amid Mineral Shortage Small Defense Firms Face Delays Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Experts Warn the US Is Playing Catch-Up Pentagon Scrambles to Secure Domestic Mineral Supply Rare Earths Are Now a Tool of Global Power FAQs The race for global military dominance has taken a sharp turn, as China's tightening grip on rare earth metals is creating a crisis for the United States defense industry, as per a report. With Beijing slashing exports of critical materials essential for building fighter jets, drones, missiles, and more, American companies are scrambling to keep up, and experts warn this struggle threatens national security, according to The Telegraph earth metals, vital components used in everything from missile-guidance systems to night vision goggles, have seen prices skyrocket, some by over 60 times, after China restricted their export earlier this year amid ongoing trade tensions between both the countries, as per the report. With China controlling around 90% of the world's supply, it has effectively gained a chokehold on the US defense industrial base, as per The Telegraph report.A spokesman for the China select committee called the situation a 'wake-up call' that 'underscores just how dangerous our current dependencies are," as quoted in the report. The spokesman explained that, 'The United States cannot afford to have defence supply chains at the mercy of the Chinese Communist Party,' adding, 'Congress and the administration must now urgently work together to identify and mitigate these vulnerabilities before they cost American lives,' as quoted in the READ: California, world's 4th largest economy, stumbles as gas prices could spike to $8, refineries shut—what's gone wrong? Assembly lines and labs across the US are feeling the pinch. Bill Lynn, CEO of Leonardo DRS, a major defense contractor, revealed his company has already been forced to dip into emergency reserves of germanium, a rare metal critical to infrared sensors guiding missiles, as per The Telegraph smaller defense firms, especially drone manufacturers, are in an even tougher spot. Unlike larger corporations with stockpiles, many small businesses face looming production halts as delivery delays stretch up to two months due to China's stringent export licensing, according to the report. Some companies have been asked by Chinese suppliers for detailed product blueprints and assurances their materials won't be used militarily, requests many refuse, as per The Telegraph Thompson, the vice-president of global sales for ePropelled, said that 'Of course we are not going to provide the Chinese government with that information,' as quoted in the READ: Pfizer stock soars as earnings smash expectations, and company raises outlook Experts like Michal Sobolick, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, warn the US has 'sleepwalked into this situation' and that China's dominance of the rare metals supply chain will give them the upper hand in trade negotiations over the next few years, as reported by The response, the US Department of Defense has ramped up efforts to revive domestic rare earth mining and processing, according to the report. Earlier this month, it invested $400 million in MP Materials, which runs the largest rare earth mine in the Americas as the company plans to scale its annual magnet manufacturing capacity from 1,000 metric tons in 2025 to 10,000 metric tons over the next decade, as reported by The Telegraph.A defence official told The Telegraph, 'DoD has invested almost $540m to support the domestic and allied rare earth elements (REE)/critical mineral supply chain," adding, 'DoD is looking forward to continue working with companies across the REE supply chain to ensure that DoD, and the nation, have the secure and resilient supply chains necessary to secure national and economic security for generations to come,' as quoted in the Gracelin Baskaran, the director of the critical minerals security programme at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, explained that, 'Rare earths have become the most powerful geopolitical leverage and they've become the currency of new geopolitical alliances," adding, 'They continue to be a currency to forge alliances and trade agreements at a time when foreign policy and bilateral cooperation are more complicated than they used to be,' as quoted in The Telegraph gain leverage amid trade tensions and limit US military capability development using Chinese-supplied materials, as per The Telegraph critical in weapons systems, like missile guidance, radar, satellites, night vision goggles, and aircraft motors, as per The Telegraph report.
Economic Times
17 minutes ago
- Economic Times
China could shut US power grid, gas pipelines and electrical networks at will with killswitch, says shocking report
A new report raises concerns about China's potential to disrupt US infrastructure. Experts warn that Chinese technology may contain remote 'kill switches'. These switches could disable power grids and water systems. Lawmakers are urging immediate action to protect critical infrastructure. Hidden backdoors in devices pose a national security risk. The US is starting to address these vulnerabilities. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads What could China do to destroy U.S. infrastructure? Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads What kinds of devices have secret kill switches? Unitree Go1 robot dogs were found to have a secret backdoor that lets them connect to Chinese servers. ZPMC cranes can be used in U.S. military ports and can track containers from a distance. ESP32 WiFi chips are used a lot in smart home devices. Hikvision and Dahua cameras are often used in home and business security systems. Transformers and inverters for solar power are important parts of national electric grids. Is the U.S. doing anything to stop this? Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads FAQs A new cybersecurity report that is very scary has made people very worried about how China could hurt US infrastructure. Experts say that Chinese-made technology could be used from far away to cut off the power grid, water systems, and other important parts of America's infrastructure. As they are worried about a secret "kill switch," lawmakers are asking for quick action to protect the country's important are worried about national security at ports, power plants, and in homes because investigations have found hidden backdoors and spyware in founder of the software company ConnectWise, Arnie Bellini, has called this the "biggest technological threat to the United States." He says that goods made by Chinese companies, many of which are controlled or subsidized by the Chinese Communist Party, have hidden remote access tools that could let Beijing shut down or spy on important American infrastructure, as per a report by The Daily says that the threat doesn't come from missiles or drones, but from devices that are already in use in U.S. ports, electrical grids, and surveillance systems. Bellini said, "It's the fact that we're buying equipment from China." "It's already in our power plants, water systems, and video monitoring networks. You can turn these systems off from far away, just like a light says that this gives the Chinese government more power than ever before: "The Trojan horse is already here." We did it ourselves, as per a report by The Daily Chinese-made products have been found to have security holes. One of the most worrying things is:Bellini says that these devices can "call back" to Beijing, which gives them full remote Department of Homeland Security and other federal agencies are starting to crack down. Some ports have already taken down cranes that are suspected of being dangerous, and investigations are going on. The Trump administration, on the other hand, has promised to make tech manufacturing in the U.S. a priority to cut down on reliance on countries that are hostile to the stressed, "We need a national strategy." "Any camera or transformer made in China could be dangerous. We can't keep America safe with tools made by our a lot of products keep coming into the U.S. Bellini says that American businesses often stay quiet to avoid controversy, putting cheap imports ahead of national safety. The threat isn't just a thought anymore. It's already here, but you can't see codes and backdoors could bring down critical Experts warn that power, water, and surveillance systems are all at risk.
News18
27 minutes ago
- News18
India actively discussing trade pact with US, say minister
Agency: Last Updated: New Delhi, Aug 5 (PTI) India is actively involved in the discussions with the US on the proposed bilateral trade agreement (BTA) with an aim to expand trade and investment, Parliament was informed on Tuesday. In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jitin Prasada said India-US bilateral trade agreement negotiations were launched in March 2025. Five rounds of negotiations have been held, the last being from July 14-18th, 2025, at Washington, he said. The US team is visiting India from August 25 to hold the next round of trade talks. 'To safeguard the interests of farmers and the domestic industry, international trade negotiations allow for the inclusion of sensitive, negative, or exclusion lists — categories of goods on which limited or no tariff concessions are granted," he said. In addition, in case of surge in imports and injury to the domestic industry, a country is allowed to take recourse to trade remedial measures such as anti-dumping and safeguards on imports. During 2021-25, the US was India's largest trading partner. The US accounts for about 18 per cent of India's total goods exports, 6.22 per cent in imports, and 10.73 per cent in bilateral trade. With America, India had a trade surplus (the difference between imports and exports) of USD 35.32 billion in goods in 2023-24. It was USD 41 billion in 2024-25 and USD 27.7 billion in 2022-23. In 2024-25, bilateral trade between India and the US reached USD 186 billion. India exported USD 86.5 billion in goods while importing USD 45.3 billion. In a separate reply, he said the US did not accept India's request for consultations under an agreement of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) concerning American tariffs on steel, aluminium, and related derivative products, Parliament was informed on Tuesday. The US has maintained that these measures were introduced on the grounds of national security, Prasada said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. India, however, considers these measures to be safeguard actions that should have been notified and subjected to consultations under the WTO's Agreement on Safeguards (AoS). 'India has accordingly reserved its right to suspend substantially equivalent concessions (right to impose equal trade measures in response) due to the US's non-compliance with its obligations under the AoS," he said. In another reply, the minister said India has not taken any decision to suspend or restrict trade or tourism activities with Turkey and Azerbaijan. However, the import from Turkey has declined from USD 3.78 billion in 2023-24 to USD 2.99 billion in 2024-25. The major items imported from Turkey during 2024-25 include Petroleum Crude, Gold, Inorganic Chemicals, Granite, Natural Stones and Aircraft & Spacecraft parts. The major items of import from Azerbaijan during 2024-25 include Finished Leather, Medical and Scientific Instruments, Raw Hides and Skins, Fruits/Vegetables Seeds and Hand Tools, Cutting Tools of Metals. PTI RR MR view comments First Published: August 05, 2025, 20:15 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
