United States: The US Department of Justice (DoJ) has announced it is suing Mr. Elon Musk’s SpaceX. The rocket firm allegedly discriminates against refugees and asylum seekers in its hiring process.
SpaceX falsely claimed that it was not allowed to hire non-US citizens, the DoJ said in a statement.
SpaceX has to follow rules for shipping specific items abroad, but US law doesn’t demand that companies treat asylum seekers and refugees differently from citizens or green card holders, according to the Department.
The Justice Department plans to request court-ordered fines for SpaceX and pursue compensation for asylum seekers and refugees who were excluded from applying for jobs or were denied employment.
“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,” Ms. Kristen Clarke, Assistant Attorney General of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, stated.
The Department’s investigation found that “SpaceX recruiters and high-level officials took actions that actively discouraged asylees and refugees from seeking work opportunities at the company, the Assistant Attorney General further added.
On X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, Mr. Musk stated that the lawsuit is just another instance of the Justice Department being used for political motives.
“SpaceX was told repeatedly that hiring anyone who was not a permanent resident of the United States would violate international arms trafficking law, which would be a criminal offence,” Mr. Musk, remarked.