The Justice Department filed a lawsuit against the Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, alleging the Elon Musk-founded company engaged in discriminatory hiring practices targeting asylum-seekers and refugees.
The DOJ's Immigrant and Employee Rights Section filed the lawsuit on Thursday, accusing the company commonly known as SpaceX of discouraging these people from applying and refusing to hire them due to their citizenship status from at least September 2018 through May 2022. The company has been accused of wrongly claiming it was only able to hire U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents under "export control laws," which, according to the DOJ's statement on the lawsuit, "impose[s] no such hiring restrictions."
NIKKI HALEY CLAIMED DEBATE SPOTLIGHT AMONG CROWD OF 'SCREAMING MEN'
The lawsuit alleged the company only hired U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents from Sept. 1, 2018, to Sept. 30, 2020, and that it hired more than 10,000 employees from September 2018 through May 2022, only one of which was an asylum-seeker and identified as such in the application. That one person was hired roughly four months after the IER notified it of the investigation. Both statistics came from data SpaceX provided to the federal government.
"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," Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the DOJ's Civil Rights Division said.
"Our investigation also found that SpaceX recruiters and high-level officials took actions that actively discouraged asylees and refugees from seeking work opportunities at the company. Asylees and refugees have overcome many obstacles in their lives, and unlawful employment discrimination based on their citizenship status should not be one of them," Clarke added. "Through this lawsuit, we will hold SpaceX accountable for its illegal employment practices and seek relief that allows asylees and refugees to fairly compete for job opportunities and contribute their talents to SpaceX's workforce."
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The lawsuit calls for SpaceX to cease and desist from these practices and for the company to pay an unspecified amount determined by the administrative law judge assigned to the proceeding.
SpaceX did not respond to a request for comment regarding the lawsuit.