Rick Jackson linked to $3 million settlement involving thousands of immigrant nurses

Georgia Republican gubernatorial nominee Rick Jackson built his campaign around a hardline message on immigration. But a company within the billionaire businessman's healthcare empire has recently settled a major lawsuit brought by thousands of foreign-born nurses who accused it of exploiting the very immigrant workforce it recruited to the United States.

According to a CNN report, Avant Healthcare Professionals, a company owned through Jackson Healthcare, agreed to a $3 million settlement involving more than 5,000 current and former international healthcare workers. The settlement also waived certain outstanding fees that workers could have faced under their employment agreements.

The case is now drawing attention because of the contrast between Jackson's business interests and the immigration message that helped propel him to the Republican nomination for Georgia governor.

A lawsuit involving thousands of foreign nurses

The legal dispute began with nurses who had moved to the United States through Avant's international recruitment programme.

Two nurses who originally came from the Caribbean alleged in a lawsuit that they had accepted multi-year employment agreements believing the jobs would offer them greater opportunities in the US. Instead, they claimed they were paid less than other nurses, faced restrictive working arrangements and were threatened with substantial financial penalties if they tried to leave.

The lawsuit also alleged that workers were at times warned that immigration authorities could become involved if they broke their contracts. The plaintiffs argued that the company's employment model amounted to coercive labour practices and violated federal anti-trafficking and wage laws.

Avant strongly denied the allegations and argued that its contracts were legitimate agreements designed to recover the substantial costs involved in recruiting international nurses and managing the immigration process. A federal judge declined to dismiss the trafficking-related claims, and the dispute later developed into a class action in Florida, CNN reported.

$3 million settlement covers more than 5,000 workers

The case eventually expanded to include 5,219 current and former healthcare workers who qualified for the settlement class.

Under the agreement, the workers became eligible to share a $3 million settlement, while certain unpaid fees were also waived. A judge approved the settlement terms in July.

Avant's parent company stressed that the agreement was not an admission of wrongdoing and said the claims against Avant were dismissed with prejudice. Company representatives said the settlement allowed Avant to avoid the cost and disruption of prolonged litigation.

The company also noted that many workers receiving monetary compensation would receive relatively small individual payments, while others would benefit mainly from the cancellation of outstanding contractual fees.

The immigration issue at the centre of Rick Jackson's campaign

The timing of the settlement has added a political dimension to the dispute.

Jackson entered Georgia's governor's race in February and quickly made immigration one of the defining themes of his campaign. He spent heavily on television advertising and promised tougher action against immigrants who are in the country unlawfully.

That message helped him emerge as the Republican nominee in a closely watched contest, where he defeated Georgia's Trump-backed lieutenant governor and secured a place in the general election against Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms.

Jackson's campaign argues there is no contradiction between his political position and Avant's business model. A campaign spokesman told CNN that Jackson's focus is on “criminal illegal immigration and following the law,” while Avant recruits nurses who enter the United States legally, learn English, pay taxes and work in American hospitals.

However, CNN reported that the campaign did not answer further questions about Jackson's broader views on legal immigration or whether he supports expanding visas for foreign workers.

Avant's business depends on international recruitment

Avant occupies an important position within Jackson's healthcare empire.

Rick Jackson founded Jackson Healthcare in 2000, building it into a major healthcare staffing operation with a network of companies that recruit workers ranging from nurses and doctors to administrative staff. Jackson Healthcare acquired Florida-based Avant in 2018, and business records list Jackson as the company's manager, according to CNN.

Avant specialises in recruiting healthcare professionals from outside the United States and placing them in American hospitals and healthcare facilities.

The company had faced immigration-related scrutiny even before becoming part of Jackson's business network. In 2013, the US Department of Justice accused Avant of discriminatory hiring practices involving a preference for foreign workers. The company reached a settlement, agreed to change certain practices and paid a civil penalty.

The more recent litigation, however, proved considerably larger and brought renewed scrutiny to contracts requiring workers to repay recruitment-related costs if they left their jobs early.

The wider debate over 'stay-or-pay' contracts

The Avant lawsuit is part of a broader legal and political debate over employment agreements sometimes described as “stay-or-pay” contracts.

Such arrangements can require workers to repay employers for expenses such as recruitment, training or immigration costs if they resign before completing a specified period of employment.

Similar lawsuits have been filed against other healthcare staffing companies, particularly those that recruit nurses from developing countries. Labour advocates argue that these agreements can leave immigrant workers feeling trapped because they may face large financial demands when attempting to change jobs.

Companies, on the other hand, argue that international recruitment is expensive and that they need contractual protections to recover legitimate costs when workers leave before completing their agreed employment periods.

According to CNN, states including California and New York have moved to restrict such arrangements, while recent legal action involving other healthcare staffing firms has added pressure on employers using similar contracts.

Jackson's campaign and his company's immigration interests

The issue becomes more politically complicated because Avant's business relies on the legal immigration system at a time when Jackson has aligned himself closely with President Donald Trump's broader immigration agenda.

CNN reported that Avant has previously challenged government immigration policies when visa restrictions affected its ability to bring healthcare workers into the country. The company sued the Trump administration in 2020 over visa delays involving nurses from the Philippines, though that case was later withdrawn after the visas were approved.

Avant executives have also raised concerns about more recent visa restrictions and the potential impact of a proposed $100,000 fee for certain H-1B visa applications.

The apparent difference between Jackson's political campaign and Avant's business needs has become a central question surrounding his candidacy. His campaign did not respond to CNN's questions about how he would approach immigration policies that could directly affect companies dependent on foreign healthcare workers.

A nursing shortage adds another layer to the debate

Avant maintains that international recruitment plays an important role in addressing staffing shortages at US hospitals.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics has projected roughly 190,000 openings for registered nurses each year over the next decade, driven by replacement needs and demand across the healthcare system.

Company representatives have argued that maintaining legal immigration pathways for qualified healthcare professionals is necessary to help meet those staffing demands.

Critics, however, argue that the growing use of foreign recruitment can also affect wages and working conditions, particularly when hospitals can obtain staff through agencies at lower costs than they might otherwise pay experienced US-based nurses.

As Georgia's governor's race moves toward the general election, the Avant settlement is likely to add another layer to the debate over Rick Jackson's immigration record.

For Jackson, the campaign message remains focused on illegal immigration and law enforcement. But CNN's report has placed renewed attention on a business within his healthcare empire that depends on bringing thousands of foreign workers to the United States — and has now paid millions to resolve allegations involving how some of those workers were treated.