The Daily Fuckup

The Justice Department said Monday it filed a civil complaint against Cloudera Inc., accusing the company of citizenship-status discrimination in hiring for some high-paying technology jobs. DOJ says the San Francisco Bay Area software company used recruiting practices that discouraged U.S. workers from applying while favoring applicants tied to temporary visas.

According to the department, the challenged hiring process included a separate email address for outside applicants that was not actually usable, even though candidates were directed to apply through it. DOJ also says Cloudera failed to recruit U.S. workers in good faith when seeking permanent labor certification for certain existing employees. The complaint was filed by the Civil Rights Division and the Immigrant and Employee Rights Section.

The case will be handled by the Office of the Chief Administrative Hearing Officer, the Justice Department’s administrative tribunal for certain immigration-related employment disputes. DOJ says the action is part of its Protecting U.S. Workers Initiative, which it says it relaunched in 2025.

The complaint is an allegation, not a finding. DOJ still has to prove its claims before OCAHO. For now, the filing adds Cloudera to a growing list of employers the department says it believes crossed the line between lawful visa-based hiring and unlawful exclusion of U.S. workers.