US Department Of Justice Sues SpaceX For Alleged Discrimination Of Recipients Of Asaka

US Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke (photo: Twitter @CivilRights)

The US Justice Department sued Elon Musk's rocket and satellite company, SpaceX, on Thursday, August 24, on suspicion of discrimination against asylum recipients and refugees in the recruitment process.

"In the lawsuit, it was stated that, from September 2018 to May 2022, SpaceX routinely prevents asylum recipients and refugees from applying for jobs and refuses to recruit or consider them, because of their citizenship status. This violates the Immigration and Citizenship Act," the Justice Department said in a statement.

In job vacancies and public statements over the years, SpaceX mistakenly claims that according to a federal regulation known as the export control law, SpaceX can only recruit US citizens and legitimate permanent residents, sometimes referred to as "green card holders," the Justice Department said.

The Justice Department also pointed to an online shipment from the owner of a billionaire, Elon Musk, as an example of a "discriminatory public statement."

The lawsuit quoted a June 2020 post on X, previously called Twitter, by CEO Musk to his 36 million followers at the time who said: "US law requires at least a green card to be employed on SpaceX, as rockets are advanced weapons technology."

Musk described the Justice Department's lawsuit against SpaceX as "the use of the Department of Justice for political purposes."

In a post on X, SpaceX CEO said the company "has been repeatedly notified that recruiting anyone who is not a permanent US resident will violate international arms trafficking laws, which would be criminal offenses."

US Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department's civil rights division said the Justice Department's investigation found that SpaceX "failed to consider or fairly recruit asylum recipients and refugees for their citizenship status and imposed what was considered a ban on recruiting them regardless of their qualifications, which violated federal law."

Clarke also said SpaceX recruiters and high-level officials "actively hindered" asylum recipients and refugees from looking for job opportunities in the company.

"The United States is seeking fair considerations and backward payments for asylum recipients and refugees who have been prevented or denied work at SpaceX for alleged discrimination," the Justice Department said.

The lawsuit is also seeking a civil fine in the amount that will be determined by the court and a policy change to ensure that SpaceX complies with its future non-discrimination-related federal mandate.