The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against SpaceX, accusing the company of discriminating against asylum seekers and refugees in hiring practices. The lawsuit alleges that from September 2018 to May 2022, SpaceX routinely discouraged and refused to hire asylees and refugees based on their citizenship status, in violation of the Immigration and Nationality Act. The company claimed that federal export control laws required them to only hire U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents, but the DoJ argues that these laws do not restrict hiring based on citizenship or immigration status. The lawsuit also references statements made by Elon Musk, SpaceX’s CEO, on social media that are deemed discriminatory.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, SpaceX has been accused of discrimination against asylum seekers and refugees in their hiring practices. The company allegedly discouraged individuals with these statuses from applying for jobs and refused to hire them based on their citizenship status. They claimed that federal export control laws limited their ability to hire non-U.S. citizens, but the DOJ argues that these laws do not restrict hiring based on immigration status. Additionally, the lawsuit pointed to public statements made by Elon Musk, including a tweet in June 2020, as examples of discriminatory behavior. SpaceX, like other companies in the space and defense industry, must comply with U.S. export control laws, but this does not give them the authority to discriminate in their hiring processes.
This lawsuit highlights the accusations against SpaceX regarding discrimination in their hiring practices. The company is alleged to have violated the Immigration and Nationality Act by discouraging and refusing to hire asylum seekers and refugees based on their citizenship status. The DOJ argues that the company wrongly used federal export control laws as a justification for limiting their hiring to U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents. In addition to the lawsuit, the DOJ pointed to statements made by Elon Musk on social media as evidence of discriminatory behavior. It is important to note that even though SpaceX is subject to U.S. export control laws, these laws do not restrict hiring based on immigration status or citizenship.