US sues Musk’s SpaceX for discriminatory hiring policy

Washington: The United States Department of Justice (DoJ) on Thursday sued Elon Musk-run Rocket and Satellite company SpaceX for allegedly discriminating and rejecting job applicants who were asylees and refugees.

According to the lawsuit, from at least September 2018 to May 2022, SpaceX refused to hire or consider them because of their citizenship status, in violation of the US Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).

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 US citizens and lawful permanent residents, sometimes referred to as “green card holders", the DoJ lawsuit alleged.

“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.

The 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.

“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. SpaceX failed to fairly consider applications submitted by them,” the lawsuit read.

SpaceX hired only US citizens and lawful permanent residents, from September 2018 to September 2020.

The US seeks fair consideration and back pay for asylees and refugees who were deterred or denied employment at SpaceX due to the alleged discrimination.

With inputs from IANS