Billionaire Elon Musk has criticized President Joe Biden for relying on a bipartisan Senate deal to address the southern border situation, emphasizing that the president possesses the authority to take action through an executive order.
In a statement on X, Musk highlighted that there is no need for new laws, stating, “All that is needed is an executive order to require proof before granting an asylum hearing.
That is how it used to be.” Musk’s remarks were prompted by Biden’s comment on Friday night, where the president expressed willingness to “shut down the border when it becomes overwhelmed” if granted emergency authority by Congress under the border deal.
Biden and Musk (Credits: New York Post)
Biden had previously sought congressional approval in October for funding to enhance border security, including provisions for additional Border Patrol agents, immigration judges, asylum officers, and inspection machines to detect fentanyl. Negotiations on the border deal are ongoing, with Republicans and Democrats in the Senate struggling to reach a consensus on both border security and Ukraine aid.
In response to Biden’s call for a bipartisan bill, Musk contended that a border wall is unnecessary to address the migrant crisis. Instead, he attributed the challenge to the actions of Border Patrol agents operating under the directives of Biden’s Department of Homeland Security.
According to Musk, “Building a wall is a red herring. No wall is needed to fix this situation. Border Patrol is being instructed to facilitate illegal entry at scale into the United States.”
The latest figures from U.S. Customs and Border Protection reveal that in December, agents encountered 302,034 migrants at the southern border, setting an all-time high. This record comes amid ongoing resistance from Texas, which is challenging the Biden administration and the Supreme Court over its constitutional right to secure its border.
Earlier this week, the Supreme Court issued a temporary order allowing federal agents to cut the concertina wire installed by Texas along the U.S.–Mexico border as part of its Operation Lone Star initiative. The federal government’s lawsuit against Texas is pending, making the order temporary.
Responding to the surge of illegal immigrants, Texas Governor Greg Abbott pledged to defend the state, garnering support from 25 other Republican governors who signed a letter expressing solidarity.
The list of supportive states includes Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming. The sole Republican governor not signing the statement was Phil Scott of Vermont.
