Elon Musk has shared a video on illegal immigration, calling it "alarming". Separately, reports indicate that nearly 7.3 million people have entered the US under President Biden.
As immigration at the southwest border rises, discussions are underway about various approaches to border management. Meanwhile, Elon Musk shared a video clip on immigration by political commentator Tucker Carlson. In response to the clip by the former Fox News presenter, Musk says "alarming".
Alarming https://t.co/QMyP7A0oxm
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 20, 2024
Elon Musk's take on the US migrant crisis
"Most of them come from the poorest countries on the planet. We don't know anything about them really. We don't know if they're pro-America. We don't know if they're hostile to the people who already live here." Carlson says in the video.
The video features the wife of journalist Peter Brimelow, Lydia, who accuses the Biden administration of targetting her for asking questions on immigration. Musk did not clarify in his X post, whether his remarks are about illegal immigration or what's happening to the Brimelows or both.
Earlier this month, the Tesla CEO criticised Biden's immigration policy in a series of X posts, highlighting the challenges his mother, Maye Musk, faced before they were given US citizenship.
A few other things you probably don’t know: illegals in America can get bank loans, mortgages, insurance, driver’s licenses, free healthcare (California & New York) and in-state college tuition.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 3, 2024
What’s the point of being a citizen if an illegal gets all the benefits, but doesn’t…
Went to the Eagle Pass border crossing to see what’s really going on pic.twitter.com/ADYY2XvAKT
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 29, 2023
Last year, Musk visited the Texas-Mexico border amid America's migrant crisis and met local politicians. He even live-streamed his visit to give viewers an idea of the "real situation".
Who is responsible for the vast waves of migration to the US?
After President Joe Biden took office, the number of migrants crossing the southwest border of the United States has increased, reaching nearly 7.3 million, a number exceeding the combined population of 37 states, as per Fox News analysis.
Data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) shows nearly 1 million migrant encounters at the southwest border in the current fiscal year (October through September), exceeding the population of some US states.
🇺🇸: Illegal migrants detained at U.S/Mexico border
— Intelligence Fusion - North America (@IFNorthAmerica) January 31, 2020
- 41 arrested by US Customs & Border Protection
- Aided by people smugglers or 'coyotes'
- Traveled from Central America #usmexicoborder #peopletrafficking #coyotes@IntellFusion https://t.co/53QzlYX4Sg pic.twitter.com/bDB3N34yRC
If the US fails to slow down the current pace of illegal immigration, the fiscal year 2024 will break last year's record of 2,475,669 southwest border encounters, a number that exceeds the population of border state, New Mexico.
As per the CBP data, there have been 7,298,486 southwest land border encounters from January 20, 2021, to February 21, 2024.
That is reportedly larger than the population of 36 US states, namely Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
If the number of illegal immigrants entering the US under President Biden is compiled together to found a city, Fox News claim it would be America's second-largest city after New York. It is also worth noting that the total does not include an estimated additional 1.8 million known "gotaways" who evaded law enforcement, which would make it bigger than New York.
To those unaware, "gotaways" allude to persons who have entered the United States illegally and have not been apprehended by authorities.
Last fiscal year saw the highest number of deaths ever recorded. There have already been 25 migrant deaths since October 1st.
— ThornsberryBelkis (@ThornsberryBe17) November 21, 2022
DEADLY CRISIS: Record number of illegal immigrants dying trying to sneak into US
Data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection obtained by Fox News show... pic.twitter.com/fhF7khLccR
Reportedly, about 10 million migrants have crossed into the US illegally under Biden's lenient policies. Biden's critics accuse him of intentionally refusing to enforce the law.
"This unprecedented surge in illegal immigration isn't an accident. It is the result of deliberate policy choices by the Biden administration," said Eric Ruark, Director of Research for Numbers USA, a nonprofit that advocates for immigration restrictions.
Moreover, Republicans and anti-illegal immigration activists have been blaming Biden for the current overwhelming wave of migrants, which they say he facilitated by reversing former President Donald Trump's border policies.
Unsurprisingly, the Biden administration has denied responsibility for the crisis and blamed external "push" factors such as violence and economic instability in South and Central America as the real reason behind the vast waves of migration to the US.
In contrast, Biden's critics believe migrants face more of a "pull" factor, which includes government benefits and job opportunities, More importantly, the president's critics claim they know they will not face deportation under Biden's lenient policies.
