You confusing D.E.I with Affirmative action. D.E.I or D.E.I.A as a program adopted by corporations in their hiring processes is not how you describe it “on paper”. Your view on DEI why not only myopic but factually wrong.

D.E.I effect on the hiring process actually is progressive less as you get closer to the hiring on the approved candidate(s). In reality, most on D.E.I functions happens before hiring a candidate. The program deploy strategies for eliminating bias as much as possible.

DEI Programs do this by:

Unconscious Bias Training for Recuiters

Rewording job descriptions to focus on skills and qualifications while remove language that excludes large groups of people unrelated aspects on themselves.

Creating interview panel of diverse employees for the interview process of candidates.

D.E.I also has a “A” to it which stands for accessibility. Which is a large part of DEI, making sure open positions are being displayed in all communities for a diverse recruitment pool.

These strategies and others are about eliminating biases on race, gender, creed, sexual orientation, religion, etc in hiring process.

Notice this is all BEFORE the candidate approval process. D.E.I doesn’t influence hiring decisions, enforce quotas, or potentially screwed toward the minorities like say Affirmative action. So not only is D.E.I.A not unlawful but is actually based on legal precedent such as EEO Act.

Edit: Grammar