The U.S. Department of Justice announced Thursday that it has filed a lawsuit against SpaceX, a company led by Elon Musk, alleging hiring discrimination against refugees.
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In its September 2018 through September 2022 job postings and recruitment, SpaceX falsely claimed that it could only hire American or permanent resident “green card” holders due to “export control laws” the company must comply with, the department said in a statement .
“Our investigation found that SpaceX unfairly singled out refugees based on their status and issued something of a hiring ban, regardless of their qualifications, in violation of federal law,” Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services Kristen Clarke said, quoted in the press release text.
“Export control laws do not provide for such hiring restrictions,” the ministry said.
These lawsuits seek compensation, including monetary compensation, “for refugees who have been deterred or excluded from employment opportunities at SpaceX because of this alleged discrimination,” he explains.
Another company owned by billionaire Elon Musk, Tesla, is already being sued by the state of California for racial discrimination at its Fremont factory.
In December 2021, six women also filed a complaint against the same California location, accusing the electric car maker of condoning sexual harassment (trash and unsolicited physical contact).