"US Government Sues Musk's SpaceX Over Employment Discrimination Against Refugees and Asylum Seekers"

US Department of Justice: "Discrimination Against Asylum Seekers and Refugees in Hiring Process"
"Will Hold SpaceX Accountable for Illegal Employment Practices"

The U.S. government has filed a lawsuit against SpaceX, the space company led by Elon Musk, for discriminating against asylum seekers and refugees during the hiring process.

On the 24th (local time), the U.S. Department of Justice issued a press release stating, "We have filed a lawsuit against SpaceX for discriminating against asylum seekers and refugees in the hiring process."

The Department of Justice claimed that SpaceX violated the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) by refusing to hire asylum seekers and refugees from September 2018 to May of last year due to their lack of citizenship.

Elon Musk CEO. [Photo by AP Yonhap News]

SpaceX has stated in job postings and other communications that, under the Export Control Laws, only U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents are eligible to apply for employment.

However, the Department of Justice pointed out that this was incorrect. SpaceX, which develops advanced space-related technologies, handles several sensitive items and must comply with international arms trade regulations and export control regulations under the Export Control Laws. However, these laws do not require treating asylum seekers or refugees differently from U.S. citizens or permanent residents.

The Department of Justice has requested the court to impose fines on SpaceX and require the company to change its policies to comply with future anti-discrimination obligations. Kristen Clarke, Assistant Attorney General of the U.S. Department of Justice, said, "Through this lawsuit, we will hold SpaceX accountable for its illegal hiring practices and seek remedies to ensure that asylum seekers and refugees can compete fairly for employment opportunities."

Earlier, the Immigrant and Employee Rights (IER) Section of the Department of Justice received a complaint in May 2020 alleging discrimination against a non-U.S. citizen during SpaceX's hiring process.

Lisa Sandoval, an attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice, stated in the complaint, "During the interview process for the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) position on March 10, 2020, SpaceX inquired about the claimant's citizenship status and did not hire him because he was not a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident."

Since then, the Department of Justice has been investigating SpaceX's hiring practices. Regarding this, Musk said at a space conference in 2016, "Rocket technology is considered advanced weapon technology," adding, "Therefore, a general work visa alone is not sufficient unless special permission is obtained from the Secretary of Defense or the Secretary of State."