Republican Sen. James Lankford criticized Elon Musk on Monday for suggesting that the bipartisan national security bill under consideration in Congress would enable more illegal immigrants to vote in U.S. elections.
Musk’s assertion drew attention during a conversation with CNN’s Jake Tapper, who cited the Tesla CEO’s tweet: “The long-term goal of the so-called ‘Border Security’ bill is enabling illegals to vote! It will do the total opposite of securing the border.”
Addressing Musk’s claim, Tapper sought clarification, stating, “Now I know that Elon Musk is not an expert on illegal immigration or the border, but he has a huge megaphone.”
In response, Lankford redirected Musk’s focus, remarking, “He ought to go back to doing the 2 million Teslas that are currently being recalled right now.” The recent Tesla recall, affecting over 2 million vehicles, pertains to small font sizes on warning panels, which the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration flagged as a crash risk, as per Forbes.
Lankford dismissed Musk’s assertion about the bill’s impact on voting eligibility, calling it “absurd,” and emphasized that non-citizens cannot legally vote in U.S. federal elections. “Obviously, we’re not dealing with that,” he stated.
Musk’s criticism of the Biden administration’s border policies has been vocal, and he has recently scrutinized the national security bill, reposting analyses suggesting its potential to exacerbate the border situation.
Drawing attention to recent guidance from Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas, Musk underscored concerns, noting, “Illegal presence alone is not grounds for deportation.” He added, “You basically have to be a convicted axe murderer to be deported! That’s because every deportation is a lost vote.”
