The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed a civil lawsuit against Elon Musk’s aerospace company, Spacex, alleging that the company engaged in discriminatory practices against refugees and Asylum Seekers. According to the complaint, SpaceX’s actions between September 2018 and May 2022 violated the Immigration and Nationality Act by discouraging these individuals from applying and rejecting their applications without consideration.
One of the complaints states that Musk and SpaceX leadership justified their actions by claiming that “export control laws” prevented them from hiring individuals who were not US citizens or green card holders. However, the Department of Justice disputes this claim, stating that asylees and refugees should not face discrimination based on their citizenship status.
The DOJ’s Immigrant and Employment Rights section has been investigating these allegations since May 2020. The lawsuit alleges that a wide range of applicants, including crane operators, cooks, dishwashers, business analysts, and engineers, were denied opportunities at SpaceX.
Musk has called the lawsuit a “weaponization of the DOJ for political purposes,” and he claimed that the company was told that hiring non-permanent residents would violate international arms trafficking laws. Musk referenced ITAR and Export Administration Regulations (EAR) in his defense, but the DoJ asserts that these laws do not prohibit the hiring of asylees and refugees.
Furthermore, the complaint highlights that SpaceX’s job applications required applicants to identify their status as citizen, resident, refugee, or asylum seeker using specific codes. Hiring managers and recruiters then used these codes to reject candidates based on their answers. Asylum seekers and refugees were automatically rejected, even if they possessed extensive experience and qualifications.
During the period under investigation, SpaceX hired 10,000 employees, with only one identified as an asylum seeker, allegedly hired months after the investigation began. The lawsuit not only seeks civil penalties but also aims to enforce policy changes that ensure SpaceX complies with federal non-discrimination mandates in the future.
Sources: ABC News, Department of Justice
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