Why Musk may lose US citizenship and face criminal charges
SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk could face legal repercussions over his US citizenship. According to legal experts, Musk could risk his citizenship and face criminal charges if he lied during his immigration process. The billionaire entrepreneur was born in South Africa, moved to Canada, and eventually became a US citizen.
Allegations of illegal work in the US
Earlier this week, The Washington Post claimed that Musk might have worked illegally in the US in the 1990s. The allegation stems from former business associates, court records, and company documents. Musk was accepted into Stanford's graduate school in 1995 but never enrolled, opting to work on an online services start-up that eventually became Zip2.
Immigration status and work authorization
Musk has denied allegations of illegal work in the US, claiming he was on a J-1 visa as a student in 1995, which later "transitioned" to an H1-B visa. However, experts consulted by WIRED say that if Musk didn't enroll in courses while on a student visa, he wouldn't have been allowed to work at the time and should have left the country. He eventually received work authorization in 1997.
Legal implications of unauthorized work and false statements
Stephen Yale-Loehr, a Cornell Law School professor, said if Musk worked in the US without authorization and denied it, this could potentially lead to his denaturalization. Amanda Frost, who teaches immigration and citizenship law at the University of Virginia, agreed unauthorized work can prevent a person from getting a green card. US law permits revocation of naturalization if citizenship was "procured by concealment of a material fact or by willful misrepresentation."
