Immigration

Ilya Somin | 10.29.2024 4:58 PM

A recent Washington Post article shows Elon Musk was, for a time, working illegally in the US, and subject to deportation. He was able to remain in the US and eventually legalize his status because law enforcement was either unaware of his status or chose to look the other way. Much of the commentary on this issue focuses on Musk's hypocrisy: he has since become an advocate of hardline policies on illegal migration, under which people like Musk himself would be deported.

But Musk's story also highlights the harm caused by immigration restrictions. Cato Institute immigration policy expert Alex Nowrasteh explains:

What bothers me in the WaPo article is how destructive the US immigration system is. It almost didn't allow Elon Musk to settle here and build several innovative firms, push technological breakthroughs, and build enormous consumer surplus and shareholder value. Musk is a 1 in a billion innovator and businessman. If the US immigration system blocked at least one other Musk-type entrepreneur from coming here in the last century, then this should make intelligent........

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