Feb 21, 2024,07:22am EST
TOPLINE: Elon Musk reignited a prominent right-wing conspiracy theory on Wednesday, alleging that President Joe Biden and the Democratic Party aim to enable mass immigration and grant citizenship to undocumented migrants to secure their vote in the 2024 election. Former President Donald Trump has also propagated this claim, despite its repeated debunking.
KEY FACTS:
- Musk retweeted a post on X speculating whether Biden’s strategy was to “legalize” millions of undocumented migrants “before the elections and get their vote.”
- Without evidence, Musk asserted, “At least some this election, all by next election.”
- This marks Musk’s second time this month promoting the unfounded conspiracy, previously asserting Biden’s strategy is to “get as many illegals in the country as possible” and “legalize them to create a permanent majority.”
- Musk’s post included a screenshot of an Associated Press article from 2021 about Biden pushing legislation for a path to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants, a proposal that stalled in Congress.
- Despite criticism, Musk doubled down on other baseless claims, stating “every deportation is a lost vote” for Democrats and alleging that the Biden-backed Border Security bill “enables illegals to vote.”
NEWS PEG:
- Musk’s assertions lack evidence and overlook the lengthy U.S. citizenship process, which can take up to a decade or longer. Citizenship is a prerequisite for voting, and legal permanent residents cannot participate. The bipartisan border security bill supported by Biden doesn’t include a pathway to citizenship for undocumented migrants and faces opposition from House Republicans and Trump.
KEY BACKGROUND:
- The conspiracy theory has been embraced by Trump and other right-wing figures, falsely asserting that Democrats allow unvetted migrants into the U.S. to gain votes. This narrative intertwines GOP rhetoric on voter fraud and immigration with the far-right Great Replacement Theory, which suggests deliberate replacement of white Americans by people of color. The ideology, deemed racist, has been endorsed by white supremacists and right-wing influencers, including Tucker Carlson. The Buffalo mass shooting perpetrator in 2022 adhered to this theory.