National Origin Discrimination -
Houston Employment Lawyer

National Origin Discrimination is unlawful. An employer cannot refuse to hire, discriminate, engage in workplace harassment, or conduct a wrongful termination because of an employee’s national origin. If you believe your employer has subjected you to these unlawful practices, contact me.

The United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) investigates these matters and there are strict filing deadlines with the EEOC and/or Texas Workforce Commission, Civil Rights Division for national origin discrimination cases. If you work for the Federal Government your deadline to file is even shorter. Please contact me, an EEOC attorney, if you believe you have experienced discrimination, harassment, retaliation, or wrongful termination because of your national origin.

What laws protect against national origin discrimination?

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, The Texas Labor Code, and the Civil Rights Act of 1866 all prohibit employment discrimination against employees because of their national origin.

Whom does the law protect?

These laws apply to United States Citizens and non-citizens.You do not have to be a United States citizen for the law to protect you. Though there are some exceptions for employers making decisions based on visa / citizenship requirements, by and large both citizens and non-citizens are protected by employment laws from national origin discrimination.

What does “national origin” mean?

National origin is fairly broadly interpreted by the courts, but it generally refers to the country where someone was born or from where his or her ancestors came. National origin is often closely related to race discrimination and evidence of one can be used as evidence of the other.

What are employers not allowed to do?

Employers cannot discriminate against someone because of:

  • An employee’s heritage / ancestry;
  • Birthplace;
  • Language / accent - so long as they don’t interfere with the job;
  • The employer perceives the employee is of a different ethnicity;
  • Relationships and associations with ethnicities;
  • Clothing related to ethnic traits; and
  • Citizenship if used to eliminate a certain ethnicities but not others.

What does National Origin Discrimination look like?

The following are some examples of national origin discrimination:

  • Harassing Sikh employees because of their dress;
  • Implicating Middle Eastern employees as terrorists;
  • Refusal to promote an employee because of her accent;
  • Refusing to hire Mexican citizens but hiring Anglo-Saxon British citizens; and
  • Giving preferential treatment to those in the employer’s ethnicity.

Contact me, a Texas National Origin Discrimination Lawyer

If you believe your employer has subjected you to national origin discrimination, contact me. Time limitations to assert a claim apply. For private, non-federal government employers, you may have 180 to 300 days to assert your claim. For federal employees, you only have 45 days to submit your claim to the EEO. Call me, your Houston employment lawyer to set up a consultation and discuss your situation.