Federal guidance identifying ‘go back to where you came from’ as discrimination goes viral after Trump comments

Many on social media have been pointing to a federal guidance from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) that identifies the phrase “Go back to where you came from” as language that could violate anti-discrimination laws in the wake of recent attacks by President Trump targeting four lawmakers of color.

On its website, the federal agency, which enforces the government’s employment discrimination laws, states that “ethnic slurs and other verbal or physical conduct because of nationality are illegal if they are severe or pervasive and create an intimidating, hostile or offensive working environment, interfere with work performance, or negatively affect job opportunities.” 

{mosads}”Examples of potentially unlawful conduct include insults, taunting, or ethnic epithets, such as making fun of a person’s foreign accent or comments like, ‘Go back to where you came from,’ whether made by supervisors or by co-workers,” it adds.

The phrase is similar to one Trump has drawn harsh criticism for making in a tweet over the weekend, in which he told four minority congresswomen – Democratic Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.), Rashida Tlaib (Mich.), Ayanna Pressley (Mass.) and Ilhan Omar (Minn.) — to “go back” to their home countries.

Ocasio-Cortez, Tlaib and Pressley were born in the U.S. Omar is a naturalized citizen.

In the wake of his comments, a number of Twitter users, including George Conway, the husband of White House counselor Kellyanne Conway, have been surfacing the federal guidance.

Turns out that the EEOC has an online pamphlet that’s directly on point:https://t.co/nr7sSvLhZz https://t.co/LC6AVTG6zT pic.twitter.com/VbqwGTfnPZ

— George Conway (@gtconway3d) July 17, 2019

The federal government body that polices racial discrimination at work, uses “Go back to where you came from” as literally textbook example of potentially unlawful bigoted harassment. https://t.co/X4odzVu7mD

— Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) July 16, 2019

The federal EEOC or Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is pretty clear on what is considered workplace harassment. https://t.co/vvFHnIBIJW

— Patricia Arquette (@PattyArquette) July 17, 2019

The EEOC cites “go back to where you came from” as a classic form of discrimination that violates civil rights. The President’s bigoted words are so contrary to who we are as a country that we literally have laws against them. pic.twitter.com/FcD1TcKcKE

— Tim Kaine (@timkaine) July 16, 2019

FYI – EEOC website outlines immigrants’ employment rights & includes the point that the “Go back where you came from” trope is “potentially unlawful conduct” if uttered by supervisors or co-workers. Just in case people are wondering if it’s “racist” https://t.co/QSzpwQ5akG

— Sunny Hostin (@sunny) July 16, 2019

… from the @useeoc website.https://t.co/fWsyYLRx1A

ht @politicalwire pic.twitter.com/Pj8lzSRDNV

— fake nick ramsey (@nick_ramsey) July 16, 2019

Trump broke the law and would be fired from any federal job except the one he has. https://t.co/hHOqJ7nDcG

— Lawrence O’Donnell (@Lawrence) July 16, 2019

Earlier this week, the House voted to approve a resolution condemning Trump’s tweets targeting the minority congresswomen as racist. Four Republicans broke party ranks to join all Democrats in passing the measure.