DOJ Files Lawsuit Against SpaceX for Not Hiring Refugees

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed a lawsuit against Elon Musk’s company, SpaceX, claiming their hiring policies discriminate against refugees and asylees.

The lawsuit, filed on Thursday, alleges that “from at least September 2018 to May 2022, SpaceX routinely discouraged asylees and refugees from applying and refused to hire or consider them, because of their citizenship status, in violation of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).”

The Department of Justice said in a press release, “In job postings and public statements over several years, SpaceX wrongly claimed that under federal regulations known as ‘export control laws,’ SpaceX could hire only U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents, sometimes referred to as ‘green card holders.'”

“Export control laws impose no such hiring restrictions,” the press release continued. “Moreover, asylees’ and refugees’ permission to live and work in the United States does not expire, and they stand on equal footing with U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents under export control laws. Under these laws, companies like SpaceX can hire asylees and refugees for the same positions they would hire U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents. And once hired, asylees and refugees can access export-controlled information and materials without additional government approval, just like U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents.”

The agency claims that SpaceX “discouraged asylees and refugees from applying for open positions, through public announcements, job applications and other online recruiting communications that excluded asylees and refugees,” “failed to fairly consider applications submitted by asylees and refugees,” and “refused to hire qualified asylee and refugee applicants and repeatedly rejected asylee and refugee applicants because of their citizenship status.”

The press release states, “SpaceX hired only U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents, from September 2018 to September 2020.”

“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,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “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. 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.”

It seems as though the government is once again putting the wants and needs of foreigners over those of American citizens.

The lawsuit seeks “fair consideration and back pay for asylees and refugees who were deterred or denied employment at SpaceX due to the alleged discrimination” and “civil penalties in an amount to be determined by the court and policy changes to ensure it complies with the INA’s nondiscrimination mandate going forward.”

The department is seeking foreigners rejected for jobs at SpaceX or “discouraged from applying” because they “were not a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident.”

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