Elon Musk‘s previous comments on immigrants and entitlement programs were fact-checked by experts while also drawing a comprehensive response from an economics professor.

What Happened: Musk, during an interview in March with Fox Business Network, made contentious remarks suggesting that eradicating waste and fraud in entitlement spending could save between $600 billion and $700 billion each year.

He further alleged that Democrats lure and keep illegal immigrants by paying them to come to the U.S., thereby converting them into voters. These comments sparked a reaction from Geoffrey Sanzenbacher, who felt compelled to issue a formal response.

Notably, he did not mention Musk’s name but referred to him as a “prominent car manufacturer and space enthusiast.”

Sanzenbacher, an economics professor and research fellow at Boston College‘s Center for Retirement Research, gave a response based on two premises. Firstly, he stated that unauthorized immigrants are ineligible for Medicare and Social Security benefits.

His research shows little evidence of fraud, and many unauthorized immigrants contribute payroll taxes without receiving benefits, thus supporting the financial stability of these programs.

Second, Sanzenbacher addressed how increasing authorized immigration could impact the financial health of Social Security and Medicare. Research shows that immigrants are generally net contributors to these programs--they pay taxes into the system, their children become participants, and they typically incur lower healthcare costs than U.S.-born individuals.

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Why It Matters: Musk’s comments on entitlement programs and immigration have been a subject of controversy and debate. It drew sharp criticism from experts like the SSA Inspector General and the SSA head under the Biden administration.

In February 2025, Musk also sparked a debate on Social Security data accuracy. He has been vocal about inefficiencies in federal spending, criticizing the Treasury’s payment system and suggesting that it results in over $2 trillion in waste each year.

While Sanzenbacher stated that he does not endorse unrestricted immigration due to potential impacts on wages and labor shortages, he refutes the idea that immigrants come to the U.S. to exploit entitlements, stating, “If anything, these programs take advantage of them.”

The economics professor also called Musk’s argument about immigrants taking advantage of these systems “complete fiction.”

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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.