It was only a matter of time before the globalist-leaning technocrats turned their crosshairs on the one policy that unites the America First movement from coast to coast: immigration enforcement. Now, of all people, Elon Musk has come out swinging against President Trump’s long-awaited “Big Beautiful Bill”—legislation that finally provides robust funding for ICE, finishes the wall, and makes mass deportations a real and imminent reality, not just a campaign slogan.

Musk’s reasoning? He claims it would “raise the deficit.” As President Trump noted on Truth Social, this isn’t about fiscal hawkishness. This is about the fact that Trump’s bill ends handouts to corporate welfare queens like Musk, specifically in the form of electric vehicle (EV) tax credits. It’s about priorities, and Elon’s are clear: open borders and government subsidies for billionaires first, the American worker dead last.

Let’s cut through the noise. Immigration enforcement is not a discretionary luxury; it is a vital necessity. It is a national imperative. A sovereign nation that refuses to enforce its immigration laws is not a nation—it’s a doormat. The MAGA movement across the country knows that immigration comes first. Always.

As President Trump rightly posted on Truth Social, Musk’s sudden hand-wringing over deficits doesn’t pass the smell test. This is a man whose net worth ballooned into the hundreds of billions, thanks in no small part to government largesse. Now that we’re cutting off the EV welfare pipeline and putting those dollars toward border security, deportation flights, and the border wall, he is lashing out.

Even on purely fiscal terms, Elon’s argument doesn’t hold water. The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) estimates that illegal immigration costs U.S. taxpayers a staggering $150.7 billion annually. That’s not a typo. That’s your money, your parents’ money, your kids’ future. It’s being siphoned off to subsidize illegal education, welfare, healthcare, and housing.

And how many illegal aliens are in the country? Forget the tired “11 million” lie peddled for over a decade. Serious estimates—such as those from researchers at Yale and MIT—suggest that the actual number is over 20 million. That is an invading army of economic dependence. And until we enforce our immigration laws with full force, we will never get our fiscal house in order.

The Trump coalition understands that better than anyone. We campaigned in 2024 on one core promise: mass deportations. This is because the American people believe the government should serve the interests of the country first, not the interests of global corporations, which seek cheap labor and prioritize consumer growth. If that upsets the sensibilities of Silicon Valley, so be it.

The libertarian types—some of whom still lurk within our ranks—want to reframe immigration as purely an economic equation: more workers, lower wages, more GDP. But America First isn’t a spreadsheet. It’s a sovereign nation based on a common identity, and it’s fighting for its survival. Americans of my generation, Generation Z, understand that better than anyone. They know that there’s no free market without a real nation. They’ve watched as neighborhoods have changed, wages have stagnated, and crime has risen. And they’ve had enough.

We didn’t elect Donald Trump in 2016 or again in 2024 to balance the budget by ignoring the border. We elected him to secure the border, and that’s precisely what this “Big Beautiful Bill” does. No more excuses. No more tech billionaires playing economists while they offshore jobs and import labor.

So, to Elon Musk and anyone else standing in the way of actual immigration enforcement, step aside. You’ve had your hand in the cookie jar for long enough. The American people are taking back their country. This time, we’re doing it with ICE funded, the wall rising, and planes on the tarmac ready to get the job done.

Without immigration enforcement, nothing else matters.

Gabe Guidarini is the Chairman of the Ohio College Republican Federation, representing the interests and voices of thousands of young conservative students across the state. He previously served as Acting President of the College Republicans of America.