Elon Musk, the visionary entrepreneur behind SpaceX, has recently expressed his strong criticism of a lawsuit filed by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) against his private space company. The lawsuit alleges that SpaceX systematically discouraged asylees and refugees from applying for positions and unlawfully refused to hire or even consider them due to their citizenship status, thereby violating the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).
The DOJ's complaint asserts that SpaceX inaccurately cited federal laws and regulations as mandating the hiring of exclusively US citizens and green card holders for its operations. The department argues that asylees and refugees possess legal authorization from the federal government to both live and work in the United States without time limits. Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke, representing the DOJ's Civil Rights Division, elaborated on the case.
"Our investigation has revealed that SpaceX, in violation of federal law, unjustly disregarded asylees and refugees due to their citizenship status, effectively imposing a de facto hiring ban irrespective of their qualifications... Discrimination against these individuals based on their citizenship status contradicts the resilient spirit they've displayed while surmounting numerous challenges in their lives," remarked Clarke.
I brought my Canadian friend, a lawful US permanent resident with a Green Card, to the @Spacex offices in Hawthorne, but she had not received security clearance because she was not a US citizen. Below are our photos taken outside.
— Maye Musk (@mayemusk) August 25, 2023
Now, the @potus DOJ @CivilRights is suing Spacex… https://t.co/drfDukIwBw pic.twitter.com/5woayDb2Rd
Elon Musk's Response and Perspective
In response to the lawsuit, Elon Musk took to the social media platform X, previously known as Twitter, to reiterate his previous stance. He emphasized that SpaceX had previously received explicit guidance to exclusively hire permanent residents of the United States. Musk's position appears to be justified by the sensitive nature of SpaceX's operations, which entail launching intricate machinery into space.
Musk's statement on X read, "SpaceX was repeatedly informed that hiring individuals not holding permanent residency in the United States would run afoul of international arms trafficking regulations, constituting a criminal offense. We were even precluded from hiring Canadian citizens, despite Canada's involvement in NORAD! This lawsuit is yet another instance of the DOJ's deployment for political motives."
Musk's Constructive Engagement
Elon Musk also exhibited a positive reception to posts criticizing the DOJ's lawsuit. Among these was a post by Alex Tabarrok, an Economics Professor at George Mason University, who pointed out the irony of the DOJ suing Musk and SpaceX for prioritizing the employment of US citizens and permanent residents, while the department itself confines its applicant pool exclusively to US citizens. In reply, Musk humorously quipped, "The DOJ needs to sue themselves!" In a subsequent post, he wittily remarked, "the irony is too much."
DOJ needs to sue themselves! https://t.co/TuugrdtYut
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 26, 2023
Expert Insights and Interview
Former DOJ civil rights attorney Roger Severino weighed in on the controversy in an interview with FOX Business' The Evening Edit. Severino dismissed the lawsuit against SpaceX as a "joke" and suggested it could be interpreted as a targeted attack on Musk himself. Severino's illuminating interview can be viewed below.
In the midst of this legal debate, Elon Musk's unwavering stance, the contrasting perspectives of legal experts, and the ironic twist in the DOJ's own hiring policies continue to fuel discussions about citizenship status, employment practices, and the intersection of law and business in the realm of space exploration.
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