President Biden’s White House is hounding Elon Musk. It’s ironic, since two of the president’s biggest initiatives would have foundered but for the mercurial multi-billionaire. Mr. Biden’s Green Dream would be nowhere without Tesla, which put electric vehicles on the map, and without Mr. Musk’s Starlink, Ukraine might already have succumbed to Vladimir Putin’s Russia.

Nonetheless, the administration is determined to bring Musk to heal using all the agencies in its vast government. Why? Musk’s original sin was to embrace free speech and open up Twitter (now X) to conservatives. Worse, he allowed the so-called Twitter files to be published on X, baring how top executives at the social media site suppressed the contents of Hunter Biden’s laptop, possibly interfering with the 2020 election outcome. 

Soon after the release of the Twitter files, the Federal Trade Commission began investigating layoffs that took place after Mr. Musk’s purchase of the company. The FTC demanded that Mr. Musk hand over internal communications regarding personnel decisions, and also his dealings with journalists. The House Judiciary Committee appropriately described the probe as an attempt to “harass” Musk.  

The FTC investigation is ritual badgering of political foes of the Biden White House, but pales next to the government’s latest attack on Mr. Musk. The Justice Department has just sued Musk’s SpaceX for not hiring a sufficient number of “asylees” and refugees.  

The Justice Department says that between 2018 and 2022 Twitter was “in violation of the Immigration and Nationality Act.”  The lawsuit states that “In job postings and public statements over several years, SpaceX wrongly claimed that under federal regulations known as ‘export control laws,’ SpaceX could only hire US citizens and lawful permanent residents, sometimes referred to as ‘green card holders.” 

The DOJ cites as proof of discrimination that Musk tweeted in June 2020: “U.S. law requires at least a green card to be hired at SpaceX, as rockets are advanced weapons technology.” SpaceX is the globe’s leading manufacturer and supplier of rockets and satellites that provide internet service in remote parts of the world. 

SpaceX dominates the rocket-launching business not only in America, accounting for almost 90 percent of launches in the first six months of this year, but also globally. It is currently the only company ferrying astronauts to the International Space Station. SpaceX earned its preeminence by developing rockets that can be reused, making launches cheaper than those offered by rivals. SpaceX is a huge technological and security win for America.

Another boon for us Yanks is Starlink, Musk’s satellite internet technology, which dominates the skies. It has more than 4,500 satellites accounting for more than half of all such units in space. Musk recently tweeted about his proprietary product, “Starlink antennas use an internally developed, electronically steered phased array tight beam that is more advanced than the best military technology.” 

The New York Times reports: “Starlink is often the only way to get internet access in war zones, remote areas and places hit by natural disasters. It is used in Ukraine for coordinating drone strikes and intelligence gathering. Activists in Iran and Turkey have sought to use the service as a hedge against government controls.” 

This dominance, the Times suggests, worries foreign leaders because of Mr. Musk’s “murky” politics. The paper notes that at times Mr. Musk has “criticized President Biden,” no doubt the source of the White House’s enmity. Nonetheless, Ukraine would not have survived Russia’s brutal invasion thus far without Mr. Musk’s internet communications, for which SpaceX originally shouldered most of the cost.

Mr. Musk set up Starlink in Ukraine when Russia took out local internet systems; within hours of being approached by Ukraine’s digital minister, Mr. Musk had units on the way and activated. “The huge number of lives that Starlink has helped save can be measured in the thousands,” a grateful Mykhailo Fedorov said. “This is one of the fundamental components of our success.”

Given the vital and sometimes secretive role Starlink plays in Ukraine and other nations, it seems reasonable that the company would prioritize security in its operations, including its hiring. That would preclude bringing aboard undocumented individuals who have entered the America illegally.

To suggest otherwise is absurd, but that description would apply to much that Biden’s Department of Justice is doing these days. Mr. Musk’s best defense would be to quote the Defense Department, a customer of Starlink, which would not respond to inquiries from the New York Times about the satellite firm’s activities, citing “the critical nature of these systems.”

Or, he might direct a judge to an employment advertisement from the DOJ itself, which advertises: “Must be a U.S. citizen.” Just so.