The NYCHRL (Administrative Code of City of NY § 8-101 et seq.) prohibits discrimination in employment on the basis of, among other characteristics, immigration or citizenship status (see Administrative Code § 8-107 [1] [a]). Under the NYCHRL, a plaintiff must establish that she or he was "subject to an unfavorable change or treated less well than other employees on the basis of a protected characteristic" (Golston-Green v City of New York, 184 AD3d 24, 38 [2020]). Unlawful discrimination must play "no role" in an employment decision (Ellison v Chartis Claims, Inc., 178 AD3d 665, 668 [2019] [internal quotation marks omitted]; see Singh v Covenant Aviation Sec., LLC, 131 AD3d 1158, 1161 [2015]). According to the New York City Commission on Human Rights, "the entity charged with enforcing the [NYCHRL] and educating the general public on the law's protections and rights thereunder" (Russell v New York Univ., 42 NY3d 377, 395 [2024, Rivera, J., dissenting]), "it is a violation of the NYCHRL for employers to discriminate among work-authorized individuals—including, but not limited to, [*3]citizens, permanent residents, refugees, asylees, and those granted lawful temporary status—unless required or explicitly permitted by law" (Legal Enforcement Guidance on Discrimination on the Basis of Immigration Status and National Origin, NYC Commission on Human Rights at 7 [Jan. 28, 2025], https://www.nyc.gov/assets/cchr/downloads/pdf/Immigration-Legal-Guidance.pdf [last accessed Mar. 11, 2025]). "[I]t is not unlawful [under the NYCHRL] to deny employment to an individual who is not authorized to work in the United States" (id. at 27; see Administrative Code § 8-107 [14]).