Current:Home > Invest'No chance of being fairly considered': DOJ sues Musk's SpaceX for refugee discrimination -BeyondProfit Compass
'No chance of being fairly considered': DOJ sues Musk's SpaceX for refugee discrimination
View
Date:2025-04-16 08:01:54
The Justice Department is suing Elon Musk’s SpaceX alleging it discriminates against refugees and asylum seekers.
The rocket company discouraged anyone who is not a U.S. citizen or a lawful permanent resident from applying for a job and refused to hire refugees and asylum seekers from September 2018 to May 2022, the lawsuit filed Thursday alleges.
“Because of their citizenship status, asylees and refugees had virtually no chance of being fairly considered for or hired for a job at SpaceX,” Musk said.
SpaceX incorrectly claimed that export control laws limited hiring, according to the Justice Department. Asylum seekers and refugees are migrants to the United States who have fled persecution and undergo thorough vetting to obtain their status, the Justice Department said. Under federal immigration law, employers cannot discriminate against them in hiring, unless preempted by a law, regulation, executive order or government contract, it said.
The lawsuit also cites a 2020 tweet from Musk, claiming U.S. law requires “at least a green card” to be hired at SpaceX that manufactures “advanced weapons and technology.”
SpaceX did not respond to a request for comment.
The Justice Department began investigating SpaceX in June 2020 after receiving a complaint of employment discrimination.
“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,” Kristen Clarke, assistant attorney general of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, said in a statement.
Clarke added that the department’s investigation found that SpaceX recruiters and other company officials “actively discouraged asylees and refugees from seeking work opportunities at the company.”
The Justice Department is seeking back pay for asylum seekers and refugees who were “deterred or denied employment at SpaceX due to the alleged discrimination.” It’s also asking for civil penalties and policy changes from SpaceX.
veryGood! (2128)
Related
- Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
- Six-legged spaniel undergoes surgery to remove extra limbs and adjusts to life on four paws
- 4 local police officers in eastern Mexico are under investigation after man is shot to death
- Amid tough reelection fight, San Francisco mayor declines to veto resolution she criticized on Gaza
- IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power
- Nikki Haley has spent 20 years navigating Republican Party factions. Trump may make that impossible
- Indignant Donald Trump pouts and rips civil fraud lawsuit in newly released deposition video
- Protests against Germany’s far right gain new momentum after report on meeting of extremists
- A White House order claims to end 'censorship.' What does that mean?
- Here's how much Walmart store managers will earn this year
Ranking
- Residents worried after ceiling cracks appear following reroofing works at Jalan Tenaga HDB blocks
- Dricus Du Plessis outpoints Sean Strickland at UFC 297 to win the undisputed middleweight belt
- Mexican family's death at border looms over ongoing Justice Department standoff with Texas
- Ohio is poised to become the 2nd state to restrict gender-affirming care for adults
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- California officials warn people to not eat raw oysters from Mexico which may be linked to norovirus
- 13 students reported killed in an elementary school dorm fire in China’s Henan province
- Readers' wishes for 2024: TLC for Earth, an end to AIDS, more empathy, less light
Recommendation
North Carolina justices rule for restaurants in COVID
Mourners fill church to remember the Iowa principal who risked life to save kids in school shooting
Missouri woman accused of poisoning husband with toxic plant charged with attempted murder
You Won’t Believe J.Crew’s Valentine’s Day Jewelry Deals, up to 60% off Select Styles
North Carolina trustees approve Bill Belichick’s deal ahead of introductory news conference
Winter blast in much of U.S. poses serious risks like black ice, frostbite and hypothermia.
As Houthi attacks on ships escalate, experts look to COVID supply chain lessons
Parents of Mississippi football player who died sue Rankin County School District