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