I hate to admit it, but I saw similar things.

I referred someone incredibly qualified for a Chief of Staff role at a company. Their resume was well beyond what the company could have hoped to find. The executive recruiting firm was over the moon with him. However, they basically told him that this company was looking for a 'more diverse background' and as a straight white guy, he wasn't it - but they were excited to take him around to other clients.

For a few years, the hiring process seemed broken overall, and in retrospect, it didn't do much to actually help the people it claimed to.

I'm all about strength from diversity, but you can't throw away everything to get there.