Justice Department sues Elon Musk’s SpaceX alleging hiring discrimination

The U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Elon Musk’s SpaceX, alleging the space exploration company discriminated in its hiring practices by illegally disqualifying asylees and refugees from jobs.

In a lawsuit filed Thursday in federal court in Washington, D.C., the Justice Department said that for years, SpaceX officials from Musk, its chief executive, on down, repeatedly said it could only hire U.S. citizens and green card holders in public statements, job posts and at recruitment fairs.

“U.S. law requires at least a green card to be hired at SpaceX, as rockets are advanced weapons technology” the suit quoted Musk as saying in a post on X in 2020, when it was known as Twitter.

The suit said SpaceX cited its requirements under the export control act, which limits the export and sale of certain technology abroad, as barring it from hiring non-citizens or people without green cards.