Elon Musk criticized U.S. immigration policies on December 27, 2025, accusing the government of using federal programs to “import and retain” immigrants for political advantage and warning that democracy is at risk.
In a widely shared post on X, Musk wrote:
“The more you look at it, the more you will be horrified at what your tax money is doing and the fact that, if this is not reversed, your vote will mean nothing.”
Context: late-2025 policy changes and enforcement shifts
Musk’s comments came amid a series of late-2025 announcements from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) that tie immigration policies more closely to electoral integrity, enforcement, and fraud detection.
Key developments cited by the agencies and officials include:
- An overhaul and expansion of the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) system to broaden how state and local authorities may verify immigration status.
- New enforcement benchmarks within USCIS, an agency that has traditionally focused on immigration benefits adjudications.
- A shift in USCIS posture toward greater enforcement activity, including denaturalization planning and hiring of personnel with law enforcement authority.
Statements from USCIS and DHS leadership
USCIS Director Joseph B. Edlow framed the agency’s new direction in an end-of-year review on December 22, 2025, saying:
“With Secretary Noem in charge of homeland security, USCIS has taken an ‘America First’ approach, restoring order, security, integrity, and accountability to America’s immigration system, ensuring that it serves the nation’s interests and protects and prioritizes Americans over foreign nationals.”
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, also on December 22, 2025, described the administration’s approach as an aggressive enforcement campaign:
“In record-time we have secured the border, taken the fight to cartels, and arrested thousands upon thousands of criminal illegal aliens. Though 2025 was historic, we won’t rest until the job is done.”
USCIS Spokesperson Matthew Tragesser addressed the SAVE expansion on December 29, 2025, saying:
“USCIS remains dedicated to eliminating barriers to securing the nation’s electoral process. By allowing states to efficiently verify voter eligibility, we are reinforcing the principle that America’s elections are reserved exclusively for American citizens.”
SAVE system overhaul and electoral implications
At the center of the election-related measures is SAVE, a federal system used to verify immigration status for eligibility checks.
- A DHS press release on November 13, 2025, described changes intended to expand how state and local authorities use SAVE. The release said SAVE is being overhauled “to ensure a single, reliable source for verifying immigration status and U.S. citizenship nationwide.”
- The DHS release noted that state and local authorities can now input full Social Security numbers “to help verify U.S. citizenship and prevent aliens from voting in American elections.”
- DHS reported that SAVE processed more than 46 million voter verification queries in 2025 and now allows bulk searches for state officials to scan entire voter rolls for non-citizens.
USCIS and DHS presented SAVE as a key pillar of their election-related work and described the system’s growth as providing a nationwide source to verify immigration status and citizenship.
Pushback from state election officials and concerns
Late-2025 changes drew formal opposition from state election officials worried about errors and reduced participation:
- Twelve Secretaries of State, including those from California, Michigan, and Minnesota, filed formal opposition to SAVE’s expansion on December 1, 2025.
- Their filing warned SAVE is “likely to misidentify eligible voters as non-citizens” and could “chill participation” among naturalized citizens and women who have changed their names.
Critics warned that expanded data inputs and bulk searches increase the risk of erroneous matches and may discourage eligible voters from participating.
Enforcement statistics and denaturalization planning
USCIS reported record enforcement activity for 2025, including:
| Metric | 2025 figure |
|---|---|
| Notices to Appear (NTAs) issued | 196,000 |
| Cases referred to ICE for national security or fraud concerns | 14,000 |
| Individuals identified as confirmed or suspected national security risks | 182 |
| Estimated individuals who lost legal status through terminations of parole, TPS, and visa programs | 1.6 million |
Additional enforcement and denaturalization details:
- USCIS instructed field offices to supply the Office of Immigration Litigation with 100 to 200 denaturalization cases per month, beginning in Fiscal Year 2026.
- The agency has described a shift away from pure benefits adjudication toward enforcement, including hiring “Special Agents” with law enforcement authority to investigate and arrest immigration law violators.
Incentives, employment changes, and other policy moves
Other notable late-2025 policy changes include:
- On December 22, 2025, DHS tripled the voluntary departure incentive to $3,000 for undocumented immigrants who choose to “self-deport” by year-end via the new “CBP Home” app.
- Effective December 2025, the H-1B lottery system was replaced with a wage-based selection process intended to prioritize higher-paid, higher-skilled workers and reduce perceived undercutting of American workers.
Social effects and community responses
Advocates report growing fear in immigrant communities, including among naturalized citizens:
- Reports indicate that naturalized citizens in some cities, such as Columbus, Ohio, have begun carrying passports at all times due to fear of status challenges.
- The combination of voter verification tools, enforcement statistics, and denaturalization targets has made immigration a central feature of political debates about elections, representation, and government power.
Public narratives and framing
Two main narratives emerged in public statements and commentary:
- The administration frames the measures as protecting electoral integrity and ensuring elections are reserved for U.S. citizens. DHS and USCIS emphasize nationwide verification, fraud prevention, and prioritizing Americans.
- Critics, including Musk in his December 27, 2025 post, frame the measures as politically motivated and warn that government programs are being exploited to “import and retain” immigrants to influence elections. Musk specifically cited the “Somali voting bloc in Minnesota” as an example and alleged that the “radical left” uses fraudulent programs to create a “single-party state.”
“The more you look at it, the more you will be horrified at what your tax money is doing and the fact that, if this is not reversed, your vote will mean nothing.” — Elon Musk, December 27, 2025
USCIS messaging reiterated electoral protections:
“By allowing states to efficiently verify voter eligibility, we are reinforcing the principle that America’s elections are reserved exclusively for American citizens.” — Matthew Tragesser, December 29, 2025
USCIS Director Edlow linked the agency’s agenda to DHS leadership and described an “America First” approach, while Secretary Noem highlighted border security and arrests as part of a broader enforcement campaign.
Sources and further reading
More information on the federal announcements has been posted online at:
- USCIS Official Newsroom
- DHS Official Press Releases
- System of Records Notice (SAVE Database Expansion)
The U.S. government implemented sweeping immigration and enforcement changes in late 2025, sparking intense political debate. Backed by an ‘America First’ mandate, agencies expanded the SAVE system for voter eligibility checks and shifted USCIS toward law enforcement roles. While officials claim these measures protect electoral integrity, critics and state leaders fear the policies will misidentify eligible voters and marginalize immigrant communities.
