Can Donald Trump legally deport Tesla CEO Elon Musk? A look at what U.S. immigration law says
Steve Bannon has called for Elon Musk's deportation, alleging illegal immigration. Bannon claims Musk worked unlawfully while on a student visa. Despite being a naturalized US citizen since 2002, questions about Musk's past visa status have resurfaced.
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Steve Bannon Calls for Elon Musk's Deportation
Old Allegations Resurface About Musk's Citizenship Status
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Could Musk Actually Be Deported Under US Law?
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After a public fallout between Tesla CEO Elon Musk and US president Donald Trump, one Trump ally, Steve Bannon , has now called for Musk to be deported from the United States, as per a report.Bannon, who was Trump's ex White House chief strategist during his first term, bought this to the spotlight on his 'War Room' podcast, by saying, "Elon Musk is illegal, and he's got to go. He's illegal? Deport immediately," quoted Newsweek. He even mentioned, "You're going to ship these other people home. Let's start with the South Africans, OK?", as quoted in the report.Even during an interview with The New York Times, the conservative commentator Bannon had highlighted, "They should initiate a formal investigation of his immigration status because I am of the strong belief that he is an illegal alien, and he should be deported from the country immediately," quoted Newsweek.While, Musk was born in Pretoria, South Africa, he then moved to Canada and later to the United States to attend the University of Pennsylvania, reported Newsweek. The billionaire became a US citizen in 2002 via the naturalisation process after living and working in the US for several years, as per the report.But, last year in October, the Washington Post had reported that Musk had previously "worked illegally in the United States" by setting up a company when he was on a student visa in 1995 and never enrolled in Stanford University as promised, reported Newsweek.According to the US law, a citizenship which is gained via naturalisation can be revoked if it was "procured by concealment of a material fact or by willful misrepresentation," as per the Newsweek report.An immigration law expert at Cornell Law School and a professor, Stephen Yale-Loehr told Wired that if the claims of Musk illegally working in the US are true, "on purely legal grounds, this would justify revoking citizenship, because if he had told the truth, he would not have been eligible for an H1-B, a green card, or naturalization," quoted Newsweek.A legal expert at the University of Virginia, Amanda Frost said, "If a noncitizen violated the terms of a nonimmigrant visa, and then adjusted to immigrant (green card) status without admitting the violation, and then naturalized without admitting the violation, that person could be denaturalized on the ground that their naturalization was illegally procured," as quoted by Newsweek.Bannon believes Musk may have worked illegally on a student visa and wants a formal investigation into his immigration status, as per Newsweek report.No, Elon Musk is a naturalized US citizen. Some have questioned his past visa status, but there's no official proof he is currently 'illegal.'
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an hour ago
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