Billionaire Elon Musk toured the southern border with U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales and local law enforcement officials, who said they are overwhelmed by the increasing number of illegal immigrants pouring into Texas.
“Right under the bridge, you’re seeing hundreds of people getting processed,” Mr. Gonzales told Mr. Musk, pointing to a group of immigrants. “And this is every single day, and they'll [be moved] to another soft-side facility that has thousands of people.” Soft-side facilities are temporary immigrant processing centers set up by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol.
“It’s non-stop, all day long,” Mr. Gonzales added.
There are about 2.5 million immigrants processed annually, along with approximately 4.5 million “got-aways,” the congressman confirmed to Mr. Musk.
“All-time highs,” Mr. Gonzales said, adding that the federal government is doing nothing to stop it.
In the Del Rio sector, there are 2,500 illegal immigrant crossings each day, and “zero” people are being sent back to their country of origin.
“No repercussions,” he continued. “So, what kind of signal does that send to the rest of the world?
Mr. Musk, who was sporting a black felt cowboy hat and aviators during his livestream, said he is “extremely pro-immigrant,” but he does not believe those who enter illegally should be allowed to remain in the country.
The South African-born tech giant said he is “very much in favor of expanded legal immigration” and that those who are hardworking and honest should be allowed to come here and contribute to the economy.
“But what we’re seeing here [is] in some cases some cases some pretty extreme individuals coming through,” Mr. Musk continued, adding that he is “not suggesting everyone is like this.”
Mr. Musk brought up that he had heard about “a guy who came through who had face tattoos, including tears tattooed on his face.”
“That means they had murdered someone, and they are so proud that they murdered someone that they tattoo one tear on their face for every person that they’ve killed. Is that correct?” Mr. Musk asked.
“That’s exactly right,” Mr. Gonzales responded, explaining that these people are allowed to stay here. “American citizens are scared. They just don’t feel safe.”
They ‘Control the Trains’
In a separate video Mr. Musk posted on X, Medina County Sheriff Randy Brown shares how his county has been “overrun” since the “open border policies” took effect in 2021. Medina County is about 115 miles from Eagle Pass.“It’s an invitation,” Mr. Brown said. “They [Biden administration] don’t have a clue what’s going on here.”
Mr. Brown went on to explain how illegal immigrants hop on the trains and ride to the bigger cities, where they get off the train.
What’s the Solution?
Mr. Gonzales said the border crisis will continue until lawmakers come together on a plan that sends the message that the U.S. border is no longer wide open.“We have a government that’s about to shut down, and it’s going. to shut down,” Mr. Gonzales said. “I think there’s an opportunity if we can re-open the government and there be real solutions attached with some border security measures that are non-partisan.”
He said the policies don’t need to be “crazy.”
“We just need the right package to be crafted with some sensible things,” Mr. Gonzales continued. “You raise the credible fear. You turn on the repatriation flights with at least some of the people that are coming over.”
“Above zero,” Mr. Musk chimed in.
Mr. Gonzales also pointed out that immigration judges are a critical part of the solution.
“Surge immigration judges, and that way, when somebody comes in, they get their case heard immediately—not seven years from now,” he said. “You do that for a month, and all of a sudden, the word’s out, ‘Hey, the border is closed, go through another route.’”
