Elon Musk agrees with the US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick who he as soon as made enjoyable of as he says: American immigration system is…

Elon Musk and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick discover uncommon settlement on immigration, each deeming the present system damaged. Lutnick argues open borders are unsustainable with out welfare, a view Musk echoes. This alignment comes regardless of current public disagreements over Musk’s authorities effectivity strategy, highlighting a fancy relationship now discovering frequent floor on a crucial nationwide situation.

Elon Musk has discovered frequent floor with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on immigration—backing the Cabinet member’s stance that America’s system is basically damaged simply days after Lutnick publicly slammed Musk’s strategy to authorities effectivity cuts as getting issues “backward.“The Tesla CEO responded “Exactly” to a viral clip of Lutnick arguing that open borders solely work if immigrants obtain zero authorities advantages. “You can’t really open the border and say, ‘I’m gonna give my money to anybody who wants to come in,'” Lutnick mentioned. “That’s getting it wrong.”

Musk backs Lutnick’s welfare-immigration stance regardless of DOGE criticism

The endorsement is notable given the current friction between the 2. In an interview with Axios final yr, Lutnick had criticized Musk’s dealing with of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), saying he obtained the mission “backward” by prioritizing mass layoffs over reducing waste.“I thought Elon got caught up in other people’s objectives,” Lutnick mentioned. He argued Musk handled authorities like Twitter, the place he slashed 80% of workers, assuming the identical speedy strategy would work for federal companies.Lutnick’s immigration argument attracts from historic precedent. He pointed to the pre-Thirties period when America welcomed round 600,000 immigrants yearly with out welfare packages. Those who could not make it “would self-deport and leave,” he mentioned.

Trump administration doubles down on enforcement amid coverage shifts

Musk has crushed this drum earlier than. He’s argued for months that mixing open borders with welfare is a recipe for fiscal catastrophe. The numbers again him as much as some extent—a 2023 House Budget Committee report pegged the annual value of unlawful immigration at $150.7 billion, with $42 billion going towards welfare alone.Trump’s workforce hasn’t been sitting idle both. Since taking workplace in January 2025, the administration has gone full throttle on enforcement. They declared an “invasion” on the southern border, ramped up detention capability to carry 100,000 individuals each day, and took a cleaver to immigrant advantages by means of the awkwardly named “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.”As for Musk and Trump? That bromance hit the rocks again in May when Musk walked away from DOGE. He did not go away quietly—calling Trump’s spending invoice a “massive abomination” and later dropping hints concerning the president’s identify showing within the Epstein information.Lutnick, who has identified Trump for over 50 years, mentioned the president would “forgive” however not neglect Musk’s “negativity” throughout his exit. For now, no less than on immigration, the 2 billionaires seem aligned—even when their broader relationship stays sophisticated.