The Department of Justice (DOJ) said Thursday it is planning to drop its lawsuit against Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which alleged the company discriminated against refugees and asylees during the hiring process.
In a filing Thursday, the DOJ asked a federal court in Texas to lift a pause on the proceeding of the case to allow the agency’s Civil Rights Division to file a dismissal notice.
“If the administrative proceeding has been dismissed by the end of the 30-day period, Defendants will promptly move to dismiss this case on mootness grounds, and SpaceX will not oppose that relief,” the filing stated.
The suit, filed in August 2023, accused SpaceX, a major aerospace company, of “routinely” discouraging refugees and those granted asylum from applying for jobs. Federal prosecutors argued SpaceX would often refuse to hire or consider them from positions, specifically due to their citizenship status.
The DOJ claimed the allegations occurred from at least September 2018 to May 2022 and violated the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA)
The alleged discrimination extended to positions that required advanced degrees, but also a variety of other jobs like “welders, cooks, crane operators, baristas and dishwashers, as well as information technology specialists, software engineers, business analysts, rocket engineers and marketing professionals.”
SpaceX sued to block the DOJ’s complaint, prompting a pause in proceedings to allow the court to examine both arguments.
The Hill reached out to SpaceX and DOJ for further comment.
The dismissal comes as Musk sits at the helm of President Trump’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) panel, focused on slashing government bureaucracy.
Musk faces criticism for DOGE’s efforts, especially those that have led to mass layoffs of federal workers, closures of entire independent agencies and access to sensitive information. Several lawsuits have been filed to challenge the layoffs and the access to federal government databases.
