Elon Musk reportedly worked unlawfully on a student visa and expressed fears of potential deportation upon his arrival in the United States, according to a significant report released on Saturday.
The billionaire, originally from South Africa, acknowledged in an email that he did not possess the legal right to remain in the U.S. after abandoning his academic pursuits to establish a company, which he later sold for over $300 million. His brother also faced similar immigration issues, which an expert described as “fraud upon entry.”
Musk accuses Democrats of orchestrating illegal immigration
This revelation emerges amidst Musk’s strong support for Donald Trump, during which he has accused Democrats of orchestrating a surge of illegal immigration, a theory that has gained traction within the Republican Party. Bloomberg has referred to him as a prominent advocate of anti-immigrant conspiracies.
Trump’s platform includes advocating for the mass deportation of millions of undocumented immigrants and has voiced concerns regarding “chain migration.” However, a thorough investigation by The Washington Post into Musk’s immigration history reveals that he exploited his student visa to launch his first business, Global Link Information Network, which later became Zip2. Investors worried about the risk of his deportation and sought guidance from an immigration lawyer.
Elon Musk citizenship
Born in South Africa, Musk gained Canadian citizenship through his mother at 18 and began his studies in Canada before transferring to the University of Pennsylvania on a student visa. In 1995, he relocated to Palo Alto, intending to attend Stanford University, which would have entitled him to a new student visa allowing part-time work.
However, The Post uncovered that Musk never enrolled at Stanford, thus invalidating his visa. Instead, he focused on developing his startup, which was deemed illegal by Leon Fresco, a former immigration attorney. He emphasized that any activity contributing to revenue generation could lead to legal complications.
How Elon Musk entered US?
Musk has indicated that he enlisted his brother’s assistance in running the company. Kimbal, however, has admitted to misleading border officials after previously being denied entry for illegal work in the U.S. He fabricated a story about visiting a talk show to facilitate what he described as a vital investor meeting.
Ira Kurzban, former president and general counsel of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, noted that such actions could render Kimbal inadmissible to the U.S. without waiver options. Furthermore, employing someone without legal work authorization constitutes a federal offense.
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