Musk's team started by searching for cost-savings in federal government. Today they are DOGE the immigrant hunters
What was first sold to the American people as a cost-cutting mission to 'eliminate waste' and save taxpayer money, Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency has morphed into seeking immigration data, experts and campaigners say.
Musk's so-called DOGE group has moved at breakneck speed since the billionaire first mused about it in August 2024, shortly after endorsing Donald Trump for president.
'I think it would be great to just have a government efficiency commission,' Musk pitched to Trump during the conversation on X Spaces last summer. Its aim, he said, would be to ensure taxpayer money is spent 'in a good way.'
'And I'd be happy to help out on such a commission,' Musk offered.
Since then, DOGE has overseen some of the 280,000 layoffs across 27 government agencies and pursued immigration-related data across departments, including Housing and Urban Development, the Internal Revenue Service and the Social Security Administration.
Its latest data mining conquest is the Justice Department, where DOGE officials have accessed a sensitive system containing detailed information about immigrants' interactions with the U.S. government.
The system, the Executive Office for Immigration Review's Courts and Appeals System, contains records dating to at least the 1990s on millions of legal and undocumented immigrants, including addresses, case histories, court testimony and confidential interviews from asylum seekers, the Washington Post first reported.
'The initial mission, as stated, was to cut waste and eliminate fraud and abuse,' Lisa Gilbert, co-president of consumer rights group Public Citizen, which is involved in several lawsuits against the Trump administration, told The Independent. 'And very quickly it became clear that that was not their goal.'
'I don't think anyone could have predicted the pace and destructive nature of Elon Musk–helmed, conflict-ridden, tech-bro-filled, density storming into the federal government,' Gibert added. 'It's been unprecedented and hugely damaging, and it will take a long time for the government to recover.'
Musk's team is using the highly sensitive data it has gathered to build a 'master database' at the Department of Homeland Security that could be used to 'track and surveil' undocumented immigrants, WIRED reported last week.
Data sharing between government agencies is nothing new, but it has been limited to specific purposes. 'DHS has had access to certain components of Department of Justice information through an interagency scheduling tool, which allowed border agents to pull court dates to put on charging documents, or evidence for deportation proceedings,' Kathleen Bush-Joseph, policy analyst at the Migration Policy Institute, explained.
'What seems to be new, if reporting is accurate, is [DOGE's] access to information contained in the actual case files,' she told The Independent. Bush-Joseph emphasized the incredibly sensitive nature of the files, which in some cases will contain information to do with 'terrible violence and persecution' that some immigrants have suffered.
'The opaqueness of DOGE's data efforts should give Americans pause because it is not simply about creating efficiency,' global security and cyber expert Nicholas Reese, an adjunct instructor at NYU's School of Professional Studies Center for Global Affairs, added. 'It is also about security and building trust because this is not nameless and faceless data.'
The Justice Department declined to comment when approached by The Independent. The White House and the Department of Homeland Security were also contacted for comment.
Gerald Connolly, ranking Democratic member of the House Oversight Committee, wrote to the Social Security Administration's office of the inspector general last week about a whistleblower who told them that DOGE is building the 'master database,' consisting of sensitive data.
The Committee 'received reports about troubling, fumbling efforts by DOGE to combine sensitive information held by SSA, the IRS, HHS, and other agencies into a singlecross-agency master database,' Connolly's letter said. 'I am concerned that DOGE is moving personal information across agencies without the notification required under the Privacy Act or related laws, such that the American people are wholly unaware their data is being manipulated in this way.'
A senior Homeland Security official, meanwhile, told WIRED that DOGE is 'trying to amass a huge amount of data' and 'it has nothing to do with finding fraud or wasteful spending.'
Connolly told The Independent that the way in which DOGE is operating, particularly with accessing immigration data, is deeply 'alarming.'
'The Trump-Musk Administration is infiltrating agencies and weaponizing the information they steal to target and attack America's immigrant communities,' Connolly said. 'DOGE's dystopian demand for the sensitive, personal data of millions of Americans and immigrants is alarming, especially as this Administration abducts and disappears people off our streets without due process — including immigrants with legal status — and in light of President Trump's chilling admission that he plans to target American citizens, or 'home growns,' next.'
Gabe Lezra, policy and advocacy director at State Democracy Defenders Action, told The Independent that what's happening 'should horrify every American.'
'The Trump–Musk regime sold DOGE to the American people as a way to cut costs and streamline government. What they actually created was Big Brother,' Lezra said. 'This isn't just about giving bad actors in our own government access to deeply personal data – like your party registration, charitable givings, medical history, citizenship status, and financial records. It's also because we cannot have confidence that DOGE can keep this database safe–particularly because malicious foreign actors will immediately make this database their number one target,' he added.
DOGE claims it has saved American taxpayers $160 billion so far, but figures on its website has been dogged by mistakes. Chaos has followed the newly-formed team headed by Musk as DOGE dismantled and shuttered agencies across the federal government. The billionaire at one point was so hands on that he mandated federal employees email the Office of Personnel Management five accomplishments every week as a 'pulse check.' Some agency heads ignored him.
Now DOGE is turning its attention to the administration's deportation efforts as Trump continues to push his sweeping anti-immigration agenda. But Musk's involvement in the efforts appears to be slowing down as he announced plans to step back next week because of his stumbling Tesla revenue.
The future of DOGE is in doubt as Musk's role is reduced, but experts, but critics said the damage is done.
'Even if Musk is here less, Musk-ism is still with us,' Gilbert said. 'Policies and practices that they've put in place will continue.'
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CBS News
42 minutes ago
- CBS News
Elon Musk on DOGE and why he doesn't want to "take responsibility for everything the administration's doing"
Elon Musk on DOGE and his work in and out of government Elon Musk on DOGE and his work in and out of government Elon Musk on DOGE and his work in and out of government In the beginning, Donald Trump and Elon Musk got along great. "He is a truly incredible guy," Trump said at a campaign rally last October, "and I don't say that that often." Musk spent $288 million to elect Trump and his allies. The president invited Musk into the Oval Office and Cabinet meetings. Musk called himself "first buddy." Mr. Trump welcomed Musk's idea to create a Department of Government Efficiency. ["You gotta give him credit!" the president told reporters.] Musk demonstrated his goals for DOGE by wielding a chainsaw at a February meeting of the Conservative Political Action Conference. "This is the chainsaw for bureaucracy!" he bellowed. Elon Musk holds a chainsaw reading "Long live freedom, damn it" during the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center at National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland, on February 20, 2025. SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images In four months, DOGE took the chainsaw to every federal department: 250,000 workers were fired or bought out; Musk even slashed grants and staffing at environmental agencies, like the EPA and NOAA, after decades of warning about the risks of climate change. But Musk did not enjoy the pushback. There were acts of violence; death threats; lawsuits; mandatory re-hirings; and shouting matches with Cabinet members. Tesla profits plummeted by 71%—and Musk's net worth dropped by $100 billion. Last month, Musk finally left Washington, but still intended to work on DOGE a day or two a week. And this past Tuesday, he offered "Sunday Morning" an interview at SpaceX's headquarters near Brownsville, at the southern tip of Texas. "It's a bit unfair" We knew we were in the right neighborhood when we saw a huge bust of Musk, installed by his admirers—and vandalized by his critics. A vandalized bust of Elon Musk outside his SpaceX facility in southern Texas. CBS News But the interview didn't get off to a smooth start. I asked, "I noticed that all of your businesses involve a lot of components, a lot of parts. Do the tariffs and the trade wars affect any of this?" "You know, tariffs always affect things a little bit," Musk replied. "I'm wondering what your thought is on the ban on foreign students, the proposal. I mean, you were one of those kids, right?" "Yeah. I mean, I think we wanna stick to, you know, the subject of the day, which is, like, spaceships, as opposed to, you know, presidential policy," Musk said. "Oh, okay," I said. "I was told anything is good, but…" "No, well—no," Musk replied. Correspondent David Pogue and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who says he is stepping away from his White House role at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). CBS News But Musk was willing to talk about the DOGE firestorm. I asked him, "You've spoken about how much of a grind and a stress it was on you, and you know, Tesla's reputation took a hit, your reputation took a hit. People are very upset about [effects on] Social Security, and national parks, and air traffic, and food safety, and cancer research, Alzheimer's research. Now that you've had a chance to look at it, might there have been a different approach?" Musk said, "Yeah, I think … what was starting to happen was that, like, it's a bit unfair because, like, DOGE became the whipping boy for everything. So, if there was some cut, real or imagined, everyone would blame DOGE. I've had people think that, like, somehow DOGE is gonna stop them from getting their Social Security check, which is completely untrue." I asked, "I was just thinking about the, you know, 'move fast and break things,' you know, before you really understand what the agency does?" "Yeah, I mean, I guess part of it is, like, is it depends on where you're coming from," Musk said. "I'm like a proponent of smaller government, not bigger government. So, now if somebody's a proponent of, you know, more government programs and bigger government, and they see, 'Hey, DOGE is cutting all these government programs,' then they'll be fundamentally opposed to that because they just think the government should do more things. That's just a fundamental, I guess, ideological opinion. "But my frank opinion of the government is that, like, the government is just, like, the DMV that got big, okay? So, when you say it like, 'Let's have the government do something,' you should think, 'Do you want the DMV to do it?'" And then, Musk started talking about the Trump administration, without even being asked about Trump. "And you know, it's not like I agree with everything the administration does," said Musk. "So it's like, I mean, I agree with much of what the administration does. But we have differences of opinion. You know, there are things that I don't entirely agree with. But it's difficult for me to bring that up in an interview because then it creates a bone of contention. So then, I'm a little stuck in a bind, where I'm like, well, I don't wanna, you know, speak up against the administration, but I also don't wanna take responsibility for everything this administration's doing." On the "Big, Beautiful Bill" In Washington, federal workers say that DOGE has left the government's operations in disarray. And worst of all, it might have all been for nothing. Musk claims to have saved the government $175 billion so far (nowhere close to his original target of $2 trillion, or even his revised target of $1 trillion). And that was before the president's new spending bill passed the House. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the president's proposed budget will add $3.8 trillion to our debt over the next ten years. It's now being debated in the Senate. Musk said, "I was, like, disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit, doesn't decrease it, and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing." I said, "I actually thought that, when this 'big, beautiful bill' came along, it'd be like, everything he's done on DOGE gets wiped out in the first year." "I think a bill can be big or it can be beautiful," Musk laughed. "But I don't know if it could be both. My personal opinion." And here is where the story gets a little complicated. On Tuesday, right after our interview, CBS News released a clip of it to promote this very report. It was that part, where Musk criticizes Trump's spending bill, and his remarks became news. It went all the way to the White House, where the president was asked about Musk's criticism of the bill. Within 24 hours, Musk announced that his time in the Trump administration was officially over. Out of DOGE, out of government. Musk said that the reason was that his limited 130-day stint as advisor was ending. But until that moment, he'd been saying that he still intended to work on DOGE part-time. "Well, DOGE is gonna continue, just as a way of life," he told us. "I will have some participation in that, but as I've said publicly, my focus has to be on the companies at this point." Truth is, the Trump-Musk relationship had already seemed to be cooling. The president used to post about Musk about six times a week. But by April, he'd stopped mentioning Musk altogether. Still, on Friday, they held a media event at the White House to confirm their mutual admiration—and to leave the door open for future collaboration. "Elon's really not leaving," Mr. Trump said. "He's gonna be back and forth, I think, I have a feeling." Musk added, "The DOGE team is doing an incredible job. They're going to continue doing an incredible job, and I will continue to be visiting here and be a friend and advisor to the president." President Donald Trump looks on as Elon Musk speaks during a news conference in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, May 30, 2025, in Washington. Evan Vucci / AP Musk might be the first to admit that his DOGE experiment gave him a black eye—like the actual black eye he had on Friday, which he says he got from his five-year-old son … or the matching one on that statue. At least for now, Musk says that his focus will be running his business ventures: Tesla, Starlink, X, xAI, Neuralink, Optimus robots, the Boring Company, and SpaceX. 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an hour ago
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Trump Administration Live Updates: Trump to Withdraw Elon Musk's Ally as Nominee for Top NASA Job
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People inside and outside NASA had hoped that Mr. Isaacman's arrival as administrator would help provide stability and a clearer direction for the agency, which has been operating under an acting administrator since the beginning of Mr. Trump's term. Image The Trump administration wants to overhaul NASA's human spaceflight program. Credit... Steve Nesius/Reuters Mr. Isaacman, who declined to comment when reached by phone on Saturday, was informed of the decision on Friday, which was also Mr. Musk's last day in the White House as a special government employee. Even if Mr. Trump announces a new choice relatively soon, the agency will now face several more months before a top leader is in place. Mr. Trump told associates he had learned from allies that Mr. Isaacman had donated to Democrats, including Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona and former Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, as well as the California Democratic Party, during the past two campaign cycles, the people with knowledge of the deliberations said. Mr. Trump told advisers he was surprised he had not been told about those donations previously, two people briefed on the matter said, neither of whom was authorized to discuss the matter. Sergio Gor, the director of the Presidential Personnel Office who has clashed with Mr. Musk over nominees, supported Mr. Trump's moving to withdraw the nomination, two other people briefed on the matter said. An aide to Mr. Musk did not respond to a message seeking comment. Installing Mr. Isaacman, 42, at NASA was one of the biggest benefits that Mr. Musk had pulled off for himself. The space agency previously had a $25 billion budget and is crucial to Mr. Musk's rocket business, SpaceX. Mr. Isaacman, a pilot who has privately flown to space twice with SpaceX, ingratiated himself with the president by giving $2 million to Mr. Trump's inaugural committee. It would be an extraordinary move to withdraw the nomination, given that Mr. Isaacman had already been approved by the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee with a 19-to-9 vote. He was scheduled to be confirmed by the full Senate next week. It will also be a test case for how much of Mr. Musk's influence remains in a White House where he is no longer physically working as an adviser. Mr. Trump told Mr. Musk on Friday that he intended to pull back Mr. Isaacman's nomination, according to a person with knowledge of their conversation. Mr. Isaacman is the chief executive of the payment processing company Shift4 Payments, and Mr. Trump lauded him when he announced his selection in December. 'Jared will drive NASA's mission of discovery and inspiration, paving the way for groundbreaking achievements in Space science, technology, and exploration,' Mr. Trump posted on Truth Social at the time. Mr. Musk lobbied for Mr. Isaacman's selection directly with Mr. Trump, according to a person with knowledge of the discussions. Mr. Trump is said to have deferred to Mr. Musk on the choice, contending that he was knowledgeable about space because of his success with SpaceX, the person said. No major speed bumps came up during Mr. Isaacman's nomination hearing in April before the commerce committee. Senator Ted Cruz, the Texas Republican who leads the committee, pushed Mr. Isaacman to acknowledge the goals Congress had set out for NASA, in particular the Artemis program to send astronauts back to the moon in the coming years. Senator Edward Markey, Democrat of Massachusetts, noted the close ties between Mr. Isaacman and his companies and Mr. Musk. He asked several times whether Mr. Musk had been present at Mar-a-Lago in Florida when Mr. Trump offered Mr. Isaacman the NASA position. Mr. Isaacman did not directly reply. He would only say, repeatedly, that his interview had been with Mr. Trump. Mr. Cruz and the other Republicans on the committee voted to advance the nomination, as did four Democrats, including Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington, the top Democrat on the panel. On Saturday, allies of Mr. Musk's began publicly defending Mr. Isaacman, trying to change the president's mind about withdrawing the nomination. His defenders included Laura Loomer, the far-right activist who has often been critical of other Trump nominees with histories of supporting Democrats. She posted a lengthy message on X casting Mr. Isaacman's impending removal as a 'deep state' plot to undermine the president. Some Republican lawmakers also rallied to Mr. Isaacman's defense on Saturday. Senator Tim Sheehy of Montana, an ally of Mr. Trump's who serves on the committee that approved Mr. Isaacman's nomination, posted on X that 'astronaut and successful businessman @RookIsaacman was a strong choice by President Trump to lead NASA.' 'I was proud to introduce Jared at his hearing,' Mr. Sheehy added, 'and strongly oppose efforts to derail his nomination.'
