President Joe Biden called out Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk for hypocrisy on immigration saying Musk launched his long career in the US as an “illegal worker” before becoming the world’s wealthiest man.
The president made these remarks at a campaign event to support Democrats that took place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on October 26.
Labeling Musk as former President Donald Trump’s wealthy new “ally,” Biden said, “That wealthiest man in the world turned out to be an illegal worker here when he was here,” referring to Musk. He also criticised Trump and Republicans for failing to sign legislation that would fix “the problem with the border.”
Musk has previously maintained that his transition from student to entrepreneur was a “legal grey area”.
Responding to the fresh allegations, Musk wrote, “I was on a J-1 visa that transitioned to an H1-B. They know this, as they have all my records. Losing the election is making them desperate.”
Tesla CEO Elon Musk briefly worked illegally in the US after abandoning a graduate studies program in California, Washington Post reported on October 26.
According the Washington Post report, Musk was almost certainly working in the US without correct authorisation for a period in 1995 after he dropped out of Stanford University to work on his debut company, Zip2, which sold for about $300 million four years later.
Legal experts told Washington Post that foreign students cannot drop out of school to build a company even if they are not getting paid.
The SpaceX boss, who is campaigning for Donald Trump’s second presidency, is promoting the Republican nominee’s opposition to “open borders” on his social media site X (formally Twitter).
Musk has accused vice-president Kamala Harris and her fellow Democrats of “importing voters” through illegal and temporary protected status immigration. During a recent campaign for Trump, he compared the US-Mexico border to a “zombie apocalypse” – even as he had also previously described himself as “extremely pro immigrant, being one myself”.
Musk moved to Palo Alto, California, in 1995 to attend Stanford University but did not actually enroll in any graduate programme. Instead, he focused on developing Zip2, a software company that was sold in 1999 for approximately $300 million.
“I was legally there, but I was meant to be doing student work. I was allowed to do work sort of supporting whatever,” he had said earlier.
Musk employs 121,000 people at Tesla, about 13,000 at SpaceX and nearly 3,000 at X.
Immigration is a key issue in the upcoming November 5 US Presidential elections with issues like drastic increase in illegal border crossings, strained resources, a broken asylum system taking centre stage during poll campaigning.
J-1 visa and work permit
According to guidelines, J-1 visa holders can work in the US, but they must obtain work authorization and follow federal regulations. J-1 students can work up to 20 hours per week on campus during the school year. They can work full time during breaks, as long as they return to classes when the semester resumes.
J-1 students can work off-campus in certain circumstances, such as if they are facing serious, urgent, and unforeseen economic circumstances. They must get written authorisation from their program sponsor before starting work. J-1 students can also work for a US-based employer in their field of study for up to 20 hours per week during the school year and full time during breaks. They may even pause their studies to complete academic training.
J-1 visa holders are usually required to work for their program sponsors. However, they may be able to work for non-sponsor employers if they meet certain eligibility requirements. Some J-1 visa holders must return to their home countries for a minimum of two years before returning to the US on a nonimmigrant or immigrant visa.