Elon Musk‘s SpaceX is being sued by the US Department of Justice (DOJ), which claims that the rocket company discriminates against refugees and asylum seekers in its hiring procedures.
According to the DoJ, SpaceX claimed that it could not hire people who were not US citizens.
The DoJ’s investigation into SpaceX was brought on by claims of discrimination from a foreign worker.
In a lawsuit filed by the DoJ, SpaceX was accused of “routinely discouraged asylees and refugees from applying and refused to hire or consider them, because of their citizenship status” between September 2018 and May 2022.
A person who has been granted asylum, known as an asylee is permitted to work in the US, have the option to apply for a social security card, request permission to travel abroad, and submit an application to bring family members to the country.
According to the DOJ, Elon Musk’s company claimed that “export control laws” restricted it to only hiring citizens and people with green cards.
The DoJ added that this was incorrect and that these laws do not require such limitations.
The jobs from which refugee and asylee applicants were allegedly excluded from were wide ranging – from rocket engineering to dish-washing and cooking.
The DoJ has requested that SpaceX consider paying back wages to those who were wrongfully denied employment as a result of this alleged discrimination.
This lawsuit is not the first time one of Mr Musk’s companies has been accused of discriminatory behaviour.
A lawsuit was filed earlier this month by a number of former workers of the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, alleging that Mr. Musk had discriminated against them based on their gender, age, and race.
Source-BBC
