Elon Musk views the Rio Grande river during a visit to Eagle Pass, Texas, US as migrants continue crossing into the US to seek asylum, as seen from Piedras Negras, Mexico.
Credit: Reuters Photo
On Thursday, Elon Musk made a visit to the Texas border to personally observe the ongoing crisis and conducted live interviews right from the location. Musk took to social media, where he posted a video of himself on the border engaging in discussions with local authorities.
Musk made a visit to Eagle Pass, where large groups of migrants have been wading across the Rio Grande near a railroad bridge for several days, showing no hesitation despite the presence of razor wire barriers installed along the riverbanks by the Texas National Guard.
While at the border, Musk cautioned that the livestream would be unfiltered and unedited, providing a real-time and unvarnished look at the situation.
Sporting a black T-shirt, a black cowboy hat, and aviator-style sunglasses, Musk advocated for a two-fold strategy to reforming US immigration laws.
He advocated for an "accelerated legal approval process" as a crucial component of a "significantly expanded legal immigration system" designed to embrace "diligent and truthful" migrants. At the same time, he emphasized the need to prevent entry for individuals who are "engaging in unlawful activities."
In the video clip, Musk introduced US Representative Tony Gonzales, a Texas Republican whose district covers over 800 miles of the border.
Representative Gonzales extended a warm welcome to Musk and conveyed that people living along the Texas border "genuinely feel neglected."
"We want to do both things - smooth out legal immigration and stop a flow of people that is of such magnitude that we’re leading to a collapse of social services," Musk said.
Musk's visit coincided with a period when thousands of migrants had journeyed to northern Mexico in recent days, utilizing freight trains and buses as their means of transportation.
Subsequently, they crossed the US border into states such as Texas, Arizona, and California, marking an increase in the arrival of individuals seeking asylum in the United States.