'Shut down entitlement state': Elon Musk & Vivek Ramaswamy, both immigrants, label U.S. immigration process 'absurd'

Elon Musk has been an outspoken supporter of Donald Trump in the lead-up to the 2024 U.S. Presidential election to the point of even claiming that if Trump doesn’t win, “it’s the last election we’re going to have.” Immigration is a key topic for both figures, and now Musk is engaging in a debate with Indian-American entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy about the state of immigration in the U.S., arguing that the nation’s status as a ‘welfare state’ is at the heart of the issue.

Elon Musk stands out as the most financially successful immigrant in the U.S., having been born in South Africa, gaining Canadian citizenship as a teenager, and moving to America in 1992 to pursue his studies at the University of Pennsylvania.?

On the other hand, Vivek Ramaswamy, who announced his candidacy for the Republican Party nomination for the 2024 U.S. presidential election (only to suspend his campaign in January 2024), is the son of Indian Hindu immigrants.

Now, the two are diving into the contentious issue of immigration in the U.S.—and the irony is striking.?

Ramaswamy took to X to assert that the immigration problem stems from what he calls the "entitlement state."?

He argues, “We need to man up & fix the root cause that draws migrants here in the first place,” identifying the welfare state as the culprit.?

He notes that the discussion often gets overlooked because of the fact that many native-born Americans are also dependent on these entitlements.

Musk joined the conversation, asserting, “The ‘social safety net’ of state & federal government payments is a powerful magnet for anyone living below that standard (over 5 billion people) to move to the United States.”?

He further emphasises, “Couple that with open borders and obviously vast numbers of people will move here.”

Irony aside, immigration has become a central issue in the upcoming U.S. elections. Under President Biden’s administration, over 6.4 million border crossings have taken place, further escalating the nation’s ongoing immigration crisis.

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