During a late March town hall event in Green Bay, Wisconsin — where Elon Musk is stumping for the right-wing candidate, Brad Schimel, in an expensive state Supreme Court race — the billionaire Tesla/SpaceX/X.com leader discussed immigration with Antonio Gracias, one of his colleges at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Musk and Gracias discussed a chart showing the number of non-U.S. Citizens who receive Social Security numbers.
"This is a mind-blowing chart," Musk told Gracias — implying that something sinister was happening.
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But journalist Tanvi Misra, in a thread posted on X.com, formerly Twitter, on March 31, offered some context.
Misra tweeted, "Yes you can get a [SNN] when you get work authorization on a visa because it allows you to pay taxes!"
Many non-citizens are legally working in the United States, and as legal residents with a visa, they are given Social Security numbers.
In her thread, Misra pointed out that they pay taxes but won't have the right to vote unless they obtain citizenship.
Misra posted, "You can't vote with a social!.... This is not shocking. It proves that non-citizens contribute to the US tax base, even though they get next to nothing in return."
The journalist, known for work for Politico, The New Republic and The Guardian, also tweeted, "You can also pay taxes with ITINs and undocumented people who don’t have socials do pay BILLIONS in taxes."
Misra added, "Visa holders [with] work authorization get SSNs to make a whole array of things associated with numerous aspects of life in the US easier, including taxes, banking, health insurance, retirement plans, etc! All of this is important if you’re working here!"
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