'No chance of being fairly considered': DOJ sues Musk's SpaceX for refugee discrimination

The Justice Department is suing Elon Musk’s SpaceX alleging it discriminates against refugees and asylum seekers.

The rocket company discouraged anyone who is not a U.S. citizen or a lawful permanent resident from applying for a job and refused to hire refugees and asylum seekers from September 2018 to May 2022, the lawsuit filed Thursday alleges.

“Because of their citizenship status, asylees and refugees had virtually no chance of being fairly considered for or hired for a job at SpaceX,” Musk said. 

SpaceX incorrectly claimed that export control laws limited hiring, according to the Justice Department. Asylum seekers and refugees are migrants to the United States who have fled persecution and undergo thorough vetting to obtain their status, the Justice Department said. Under federal immigration law, employers cannot discriminate against them in hiring, unless preempted by a law, regulation, executive order or government contract, it said.

The lawsuit also cites a 2020 tweet from Musk, claiming U.S. law requires “at least a green card” to be hired at SpaceX that manufactures “advanced weapons and technology.”

SpaceX did not respond to a request for comment.

The Justice Department began investigating SpaceX in June 2020 after receiving a complaint of employment discrimination.

“Our investigation found that SpaceX failed to fairly consider or hire asylees and refugees because of their citizenship status and imposed what amounted to a ban on their hire regardless of their qualification, in violation of federal law,” Kristen Clarke, assistant attorney general of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, said in a statement.

Clarke added that the department’s investigation found that SpaceX recruiters and other company officials “actively discouraged asylees and refugees from seeking work opportunities at the company.”

The Justice Department is seeking back pay for asylum seekers and refugees who were “deterred or denied employment at SpaceX due to the alleged discrimination.” It’s also asking for civil penalties and policy changes from SpaceX.