DOJ Files Lawsuit Against SpaceX for Alleged Discrimination: Refused to Hire Refugees and Asylum Seekers

The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against SpaceX, the rocket company founded by Elon Musk, for alleged hiring discrimination against refugees and people seeking or already granted asylum. The complaint claims that SpaceX wrongly claimed that federal export control laws prevented them from hiring anyone other than U.S. citizens and permanent residents. This discouraged refugees and asylum seekers from applying for jobs at the company.

The Justice Department argues that the term "U.S. persons" includes not only citizens and permanent residents but also refugees and those seeking or granted asylum. According to the department, SpaceX refused to fairly consider applications from this group of people and declined to hire them, including for positions requiring advanced degrees as well as those such as welders, cooks, and crane operators.

The U.S. is seeking "fair consideration and back pay" for individuals who were deterred from or denied employment due to alleged discrimination, as well as unspecified civil penalties. This lawsuit comes more than two years after the Justice Department announced an investigation into SpaceX following a complaint about discrimination against non-U.S. citizens during hiring. The investigation discovered that SpaceX had failed to fairly consider or hire refugees and asylees due to their citizenship status. The company actively discouraged these individuals from seeking job opportunities and falsely invoked export control laws to justify its hiring practices.

The Justice Department wants SpaceX to provide fair consideration and back pay to refugees and asylees who were wrongly denied employment. They also seek civil penalties and policy changes to ensure compliance with anti-discrimination laws. This is not the first time one of Elon Musk's companies has faced accusations of discriminatory behavior. Previously, a group of former employees at a social media website, formerly known as Twitter, filed a lawsuit alleging gender, age, and racial discrimination by Musk. The civil complaint referenced one of Musk's comments as evidence of the alleged discrimination.