DOJ drops SpaceX immigrant hiring case in Texas court filing

Yesterday at 08:50 AM

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is dropping its case against SpaceX. The case was filed during the Biden presidency over allegations that the private space company was refusing to hire certain immigrants.

The update: 

• Last month, the Justice Department hinted that it could be backing away from its lawsuit against SpaceX, as noted in a Reuters report.
• In a Thursday filing in Brownsville, Texas, the government lawyers asked a judge to end a procedural pause so they could file a notice of dismissal for the legal complaint.
• The Justice Department stated that it would dismiss the lawsuit “with prejudice,” which means that the case could not be brought again.

The backstory: 

• The case was filed by the Justice Department in August 2023, alleging that SpaceX refused to hire asylum seekers and refugees from 2018 to 2022.
• The DOJ at the time cited job postings that limited hires to U.S. citizens and permanent residents. 
• The department at the time argued that export control laws did not impose such restrictions, Reuters noted.

SpaceX’s defense: 

• SpaceX argued that export laws set “strict limitations on who it can employ.” 
• The company also stressed that it follows “strict policies and procedures to both ensure compliance with all export control laws and regulations and also prevent any unlawful discrimination.”
• Elon Musk, for his part, also stated that SpaceX has government contracts that deal with national security. Thus, SpaceX is required by law to ensure that its employees are U.S. citizens.
• SpaceX has not issued a comment about the DOJ’s decision to withdraw its case.

Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.

The post DOJ drops SpaceX immigrant hiring case in Texas court filing appeared first on TESLARATI.