Elon Musk Under Fire: Billionaire’s Scathing Remarks on Illegal Immigration Spark Controversy Amid Allegations of His Own Questionable Past
Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who has pointed out immigration issues such as illegal immigrants in the United States, was suspected of being an illegal alien. Photo taken last time. Tesla CEO Elon Musk is campaigning at Madison Square Garden in New York on the 27th (local time). / Photo = Reuters.
It has been claimed that Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who criticized the illegal immigration problem in the United States, was an illegal alien in the past.
The Washington Post (WP) reported on the 26th (local time) that Musk was an illegal alien when he started his first business in the United States. South African-born Musk founded the startup company Zipto in 1995.
WP pointed out that Musk previously stayed in Palo Alto, California to obtain a graduate degree from Stanford University, but actually started a business without attending graduate school. Under U.S. immigration law, one must register for a regular graduate school course in order to obtain a work permit, but it is pointed out that Musk started a business after dropping out of graduate school mid-semester, so it is an illegal business without a work visa. Local legal experts explained, “If Musk leaves school, there is no legal basis for him to stay in the United States.”
After the story was reported, President Joe Biden publicly criticized Musk. President Biden said, “The richest person in the world turned out to be an illegal worker,” and “Musk had to be in school when he came (to the United States) on a student visa.” “He violated the law,” he said. “Musk is talking about immigrants coming to the United States.”
On the 27th, Musk refuted through his SNS account, “I worked in the United States with legal status,” and “Biden’s puppets are lying.” He continued, “At the time, (I) had a J-1 visa, a student visa, which was later converted to an H1-B professional visa.” However, it has not been confirmed whether Musk’s explanation is true. Musk acquired American citizenship in 2002.
However, despite Musk’s explanation, WP claimed in an additional report on the 27th that he was indeed in illegal status. WP said, “Based on the testimony of former business associates, court records, company documents, and anonymous major shareholders, it is true that Musk was illegal at the time he was running the investment company,” and added, “Investors who knew that Musk’s illegal status was a problem “We helped him get a legal visa because he was concerned that he would have to disclose this in his report if the company wanted to go public,” the report said.
Additionally, anonymous investors and Musk’s former coworkers claimed, “I remember Musk telling his coworkers that he was in the U.S. on a student visa.” WP said, “Foreign students enrolled in U.S. degree programs can work for a limited period of time to complete degree requirements,” and added, “Although Musk could receive a work permit as a student, he had to complete full-time courses at Stanford.”