Elon Musk visited the overwhelmed border town of Eagle Pass, Texas, and attempted to livestream interviews with local officials about the migrant crisis. The livestream, which was intended to provide a raw and unedited view of the situation, crashed after only four minutes. Musk expressed his support for immigrants but emphasized the importance of a regulated immigration system. He warned that the inability of New York City to handle the crisis was a concerning sign for the rest of the country. The small border town of Eagle Pass has been inundated with migrants, with over 7,500 people arriving in just two days.
Musk’s livestream showed harrowing scenes of families crossing the Rio Grande river and law enforcement efforts to help them. The connection held for 11 minutes before crashing again. The local congressman, Tony Gonzalez, called for more assistance in dealing with the situation. Throughout August, over 232,000 migrants crossed the US-Mexico border, and estimates suggest that up to two million will have crossed by the end of the year. Musk expressed concern about potential abuses of the asylum system and the presence of dangerous individuals among the migrants.
As officials struggle to find solutions, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has proposed busing migrants to northern states to share the burden. In New York City, where over 100,000 migrants have arrived, Mayor Eric Adams has admitted that the influx could have a destructive impact. However, the mayor of Eagle Pass, Rolando Salinas, criticized President Biden’s response to the crisis, noting the limited resources of smaller border towns. Salinas expressed disappointment in the lack of concrete action from the federal government to address the ongoing situation in Eagle Pass.