Ocasio-Cortez calls out Musk for unfounded immigration claim

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) on Friday knocked Elon Musk on his social media platform X, formerly Twitter, after the South Africa-born billionaire repeated a false allegation that Democrats are seeking to “import voters.”

“You’re literally an immigrant,” posted Ocasio-Cortez in response to Musk’s claim, leveled on a repost of a Daily Caller story claiming the Biden administration is mulling “handing out green cards to illegal immigrants.”

While Musk’s claim is flatly false, the Daily Caller’s headline is a reinterpretation of a Politico report that claimed the Biden administration is considering expanding cancellation of removal for certain undocumented immigrants.

Cancellation of removal is a Department of Justice process that allows qualifying undocumented immigrants to get permanent residence through an immigration judge’s explicit approval. According to the Justice Department, about 4,000 people are granted cancellation of removal every year.

The Politico report also detailed a series of restrictive measures under consideration by administration officials, including restrictions on asylum, though the main crux of the story was the fact no announcements have been made, nor are any imminently expected.

White House officials have warned time and time again that reports of measures under consideration by the administration are not an indicator that action is forthcoming, but rather that officials are constantly mulling the options available to them.

President Biden and others in his administration have insisted that a bipartisan Senate border policy deal was Plan A for the administration, and barring congressional action, they have said there is no set Plan B.

“What we tried to do, as you know, was work collaboratively in the Senate to get a bipartisan bill. And it failed because the former president instructed Republicans ‘don’t give Joe Biden a victory.’ That’s unfortunate,” senior White House adviser Tom Perez told The Hill on Tuesday.

“What the President is going to do right now is assess his options and figure out, you know — it’s not what’s in the best interest of Joe Biden. It’s what’s in the best interest of the American people and building an effective immigration system and that’s going to be his North Star. That was his North Star in the bipartisan negotiations, that was his North Star when he introduced comprehensive immigration reform. That will be the North Star now as we consider what if anything to do, and obviously no decision [yet].”