Title: U.S. Justice Department Files Lawsuit Against SpaceX, Alleges Discrimination in Hiring Practices
Date: August 24, 2022
By: Kanishka Singh
The U.S. Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against SpaceX, alleging that the Elon Musk-owned rocket and satellite company discriminated against asylum recipients and refugees in their hiring practices. The lawsuit claims that from September 2018 to May 2022, SpaceX regularly discouraged asylees and refugees from applying for jobs and refused to hire or consider them based on their citizenship status, which is a violation of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
According to a statement from the Justice Department, SpaceX falsely claimed in job postings and public statements that they could only hire U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents due to federal export control laws. However, the department argues that these claims were erroneous and inaccurate. The lawsuit also pointed to online posts made by Elon Musk himself, the billionaire owner of SpaceX, which were deemed as “discriminatory public statements.”
One such post cited in the lawsuit was from June 2020 when Musk wrote on Twitter (formerly called X) that “U.S. law requires at least a green card to be hired at SpaceX, as rockets are advanced weapons technology.” Musk has criticized the Justice Department’s lawsuit against SpaceX, calling it a “weaponization of the DOJ for political purposes.”
In response, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s civil rights division stated that their investigation found SpaceX to have failed in fairly considering or hiring asylees and refugees due to their citizenship status. Clarke further accused SpaceX recruiters and high-level officials of actively discouraging asylum recipients and refugees from seeking employment opportunities at the company.
The Justice Department seeks fair consideration and back pay for asylum recipients and refugees who were deterred or denied employment at SpaceX due to the alleged discrimination. The lawsuit is also pushing for civil penalties determined by the court and policy changes to ensure that SpaceX complies with federal non-discrimination mandates in the future.
About the Author:
Kanishka Singh is a breaking news reporter for Reuters in Washington DC, primarily covering US politics and national affairs. He has previously covered significant events such as the Black Lives Matter movement, US elections, the 2021 Capitol riots, Brexit, US-China trade tensions, the NATO withdrawal from Afghanistan, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Disclaimer: This article has been written based on the information provided by the Reuters news agency and other sources.