The US Justice Department sued Elon Musk-owned rocket and satellite company SpaceX on Thursday for allegedly discriminating against asylum seekers and refugees in hiring.

“The lawsuit 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,” the Justice Department said in a statement.

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 Justice Department said.

The Justice Department also pointed to online posts from the company’s billionaire owner Musk as example of “discriminatory public statements.”

The lawsuit cited a June 2020 post on X, formerly called Twitter, by CEO Musk to his then 36 million followers that said: “US law requires at least a green card to be hired at SpaceX, as rockets are advanced weapons technology.”

SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit.

“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 US Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s civil rights division.

Clarke also said SpaceX recruiters and high-level officials “actively discouraged” asylum seekers and refugees from seeking work opportunities at the company.

The United States seeks fair consideration and back pay for asylum seekers and refugees who were deterred or denied employment at SpaceX due to the alleged discrimination, the Justice Department said.

The lawsuit also seeks civil penalties in an amount to be determined by court and policy changes to ensure SpaceX complies with the federal non-discrimination mandate going forward.

© Thomson Reuters 2023