US government sues SpaceX, claims hiring discrimination against asylees

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Tuesday, August 29, 2023

SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California, 2020.
Image: Steve Jurvetson.

Thursday, the US Department of Justice filed a civil complaint in an intra-Departmental court against SpaceX, a spacecraft company, over claimed hiring discrimination targeting asylees.

The Department of Justice described its desired outcome as "fair consideration and back pay" for those who faced this alleged discrimination, other damages as the court ordered, and SpaceX altering its practices to avoid discrimination.

The US government asserted the company, which Elon Musk founded and has owned, incorrectly stated it could not hire anybody not a US citizen or permanent resident under US export law. The government said that discouraged asylees from seeking jobs there.

The government said SpaceX did not "fairly" consider these applications in relation to jobs including those for which advanced degrees were necessary, as well as welders and cooks.


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