Elon Musk, AOC, Ilhan Omar spar on X over report Biden might issue green cards to certain migrants

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., replied to a post on the social media platform X from Elon Musk, CEO of X, accusing the Biden administration of importing voters in response to a report that the president is considering offering green cards to migrants that meet certain criteria.

According to the report, "one idea that has been floated among administration officials is opening access to the cancellation of removal program for people who have lived in the U.S. for over 10 years and have citizen or resident relatives who would “suffer” if they were deported. If specific requirements are met and an immigration judge approves cancellation of removal, a migrant is able to obtain a green card."

Musk referenced the report Thursday on X and wrote, "The Dem Party goal is to import voters."

His post caught the attention of Omar, who responded, writing, "Green card holders can’t vote, but you know that since you are literally an immigrant."

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., also responded to Musk's post. "You’re literally an immigrant," she wrote. "And for everyone saying 'yeah, but legal!!' may I once again remind you that seeking asylum is legal, too. Have a good day!"

According to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, green card holders are eligible to apply for U.S. citizenship after 5 years. If they approved, they would legally be able to vote in local, state and national elections.

In a recent interview, Musk argued that the Biden administration and Democrats are not taking action to stem the flow of the record amount of migrants crossing the border because illegal immigrants are counted in the U.S. Census every 10 years. Census data is used to determine congressional seats.

“It is, in my view, a simple incentive to increase Democratic voters,” Musk said. "If a disproportionate number of legal immigrants go to blue states, they amplify the effect of a blue state vote." 

According to the U.S. Census website, "apportionment is the process of dividing the 435 memberships, or seats, in the U.S. House of Representatives among the 50 states. At the conclusion of each decennial census, the results are used to calculate the number of House memberships to which each state is entitled."

A recent Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. Border Patrol data showed that Border Patrol had "nearly 250,000 encounters with migrants crossing into the United States from Mexico in December 2023," which was "the highest monthly total on record, easily eclipsing the previous peak of about 224,000 encounters in May 2022."