U.S. sues SpaceX, alleging discrimination against hiring asylees and refugees

Elon Musk’s SpaceX discriminated against asylees and refugees by discouraging them from applying for jobs and by refusing to consider or hire them because of their citizenship status, the Justice Department alleges in a lawsuit filed Thursday.

In an investigation, the Justice Department found that the actions taken by company recruiters and by “high-level officials” to discourage asylees and refugees from seeking jobs at the Hawthorne aerospace company amounted to a de facto ban on their hiring, in violation of federal laws.

For instance, the suit says, Musk tweeted in June 2020 to his then-36 million followers: “US law requires at least a green card to be hired at SpaceX, as rockets are considered advanced weapons technology.”

SpaceX has engaged in such behavior from at least September 2018 to May 2022, according to the Justice Department’s lawsuit.

The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

SpaceX wrongly said in job postings and public statements that it could hire only U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents, citing federal regulations and export control laws, according to the Justice Department.

Aerospace and defense companies such as SpaceX are subject to export control laws, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, or ITAR, that governs the manufacture and export of defense-related products such as rockets. But asylees and refugees are on “equal footing” with U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents under those export control laws, the Justice Department said.

“Asylees and refugees have overcome many obstacles in their lives,” Assistant Atty. Gen. Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s civil rights division said in a statement, “and unlawful employment discrimination based on their citizenship status should not be one of them.”