A Midwestern manufacturer of civil aircraft is hiring janitorial workers to keep the plant clean. Most residents of the area are white and of European descent. The state gave the manufacturer tax breaks valued in millions of dollars to locate in the area, to bring in jobs to replace declining farming jobs. Many applicants for the jobs look and sound foreign to the interviewer and were born in Central and South American countries.

a. Can the employer lawfully give preference to applicants who were born and raised in the local area over other qualified applicants who came from abroad? Why?

b. Is the employer allowed to require proof of identity and verify that persons hired are legally qualified to work in the U.S.? Why?