“Yet Another Case Of Weaponization”: Musk Responds After DOJ Sues SpaceX For Not Hiring Refugees

According to the lawsuit – which has been brewing since 2020, the DOJ 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,” according to Kristen Clarke, assistant AG of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division.

“SpaceX recruiters and high-level officials took actions that actively discouraged asylees and refugees from seeking work opportunities at the company,” according to the complaint.

According to data SpaceX provided, the DOJ said that over a nearly four period and across more than 10,000 hires, the company “hired only one individual who was an asylee and identified as such in his application.”

That lone hire came about four months after the DOJ notified SpaceX of its investigation.

SpaceX did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment. The suit was filed in the Executive Office for Immigration Review, a division of the DOJ that adjudicates immigration cases. –CNBC

SpaceX and other rocket companies have for years asserted that its hiring practices were dictated by the  International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR) law, which regulates the export of regulated technologies, such as rocket parts. An “export” is deemed to have occurred if technology is disclosed to a foreigner, even in the U.S.

Musk responded Thursday night, tweeting “SpaceX was told repeatedly that hiring anyone who was not a permanent resident of the United States would violate international arms trafficking law, which would be a criminal offense,” adding “This is yet another case of weaponization of the DOJ for political purposes.”

Exactly.

SpaceX was told repeatedly that hiring anyone who was not a permanent resident of the United States would violate international arms trafficking law, which would be a criminal offense.

We couldn’t even hire Canadian citizens, despite Canada being part of NORAD!

This…

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 25, 2023

The Biden administration’s lawsuit seeks to win “fair consideration and back pay for asylees and refugees who were deterred or denied employment at SpaceX due to the alleged discrimination,” along with civil penalties and policy changes from the company.

Will the DOJ go after Northrop, Lockheed and Boeing for the same thing?

Instead of punishing @elonmusk for hiring American citizens over non-citizens, we should be celebrating him for putting our people first. This is all really just about the Dem thugs in the Biden DOJ being furious that Elon ended the censorship and brought Freedom of Speech to @X. https://t.co/3SKixKHQcY

— Bernie Moreno (@berniemoreno) August 24, 2023

Read the lawsuit below:

DOJ SpaceX Lawsuit Aug. 24,… by CNBC.com