Immigration: Joe Biden Wants to Avoid It But Elon Musk Wants to Talk About It

The serial entrepreneur says the surge of illegal immigrants at the U.S.'s southern border is an urgent problem that must be tackled.

Elon Musk wears many hats. 

For two, he's a CEO, of electric-vehicle leader Tesla  (TSLA) - Get Free Report, and a founder, of space-tech company SpaceX. 

When he wears these hats, he shines a spotlight on the advances of the two companies, their products and their projects. In recent days, for example, he has raised expectations for Tesla's investor day, scheduled for March 1.

"Looking forward to Tesla Investor Day on March 1," the billionaire tweeted on Feb. 13. "By this, we mean the broadest definition of investor, as in the people & life of Earth. It will be a message of good hope & positivity for the future."

At the same time, he maintains the flame he lit to colonize Mars.

A Major Issue That Divides Democrats

He also likes to wear the cap of global CEO, with significant influence on political and geopolitical matters. Wearing this hat, Musk wades into in almost all subjects, even the most controversial and sensitive. 

This is what he has just done regarding an issue that puts the Democrats on the defensive and divides them within their own camp. This subject is immigration, considered one of the strengths of the Republican Party, particularly in the South.

He just used an article from The New York Post on a recent news conference by Eric Adams, the mayor of New York, to sound the alarm.

"The far right is doing the wrong thing. The far left is doing nothing,” Adams said at a Feb. 13 news conference in New York about the influx of illegal immigrants at the Mexico-US border.

Adams added that New York was dealing with an "unprecedented influx" of busloads of migrants. He repeated that the city’s shelter system was nearing its "breaking point."

At least 16,600 migrants have arrived in New York since May, according to official estimates. "That flow is beyond our imagination,” Adams said.

Musk seems to agree with Adams and makes it known in response to a tweet from House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan. Jordan denounced what he called the silence and inaction of President Joe Biden regarding what he called the most serious border crisis ever seen.

"Every local official, every border patrol agent, every business owner, rancher, sheriff," Jordan (R-Ohio) wrote. "They all tell us they’ve never seen a border crisis this bad. And Joe Biden continues to do nothing."

"This is a major crisis," Musk commented, with a link to the New York Post article.

Biden Criticized by Both Sides

Biden is accused by both the Republicans and the left wing of his party of turning a blind eye to the historic flow of migrants to the border with Mexico. More than 230,000 illegal immigrants were arrested last November. 

These flows of migrants, who are anxious to escape poverty or violence in their countries of origin, exert pressure on border towns and cities, which struggle to accommodate migrants in decent conditions.

The right is accusing Biden of being weak on the issue, while human-rights associations lament that he is attacking the right of asylum.

His administration recently announced measures for migrants who cross the border illegally: The US will more often resort to immediate expulsions, banning those who are expelled from trying to reenter the country for five years.

The federal government will also restrict access to the right of asylum by establishing a rule according to which individuals who have not made a formal application to the US, either directly or via another country they've crossed, will be excluded. 

The Biden administration is also creating 30,000 additional residence permits per month for migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela, the main countries of origin of illegal immigrants. 

But nationals of these countries may, if they do not take this legal route, be turned back as soon as they attempt to cross the border illegally.