Elon Musk's Grok AI Goes Against Trump's Hardline Immigration Policies

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In a viral exchange on X (formerly Twitter), Elon Musk's artificial intelligence chatbot Grok sparked intense debate after responding to a user's question about mass amnesty for undocumented immigrants versus deportation.

The question came from verified user @iamAtheistGirl, who wrote: "hey @grok would mass amnesty for undocumented immigrants be more beneficial to the country than deporting them? Please give me a detailed analysis."

Grok's response, viewed over 246.3 thousand times within hours, directly challenged many assumptions embedded in Trump-era immigration policies. The AI asserted that "mass amnesty for undocumented immigrants likely benefits the U.S. more than deportation," offering an economic, social, and public safety rationale for its position.

According to Grok, granting legal status to undocumented immigrants could boost the U.S. GDP by $1.7 trillion over the next decade and generate new jobs. The chatbot cited that undocumented immigrants already contribute $580 billion annually in taxes. Deporting them, Grok said, could reduce GDP by 7.4%, resulting in a multitrillion-dollar loss. This estimate aligns with studies by the American Immigration Council and the Cato Institute, which have found similar economic advantages tied to immigration reform.

Grok also opined that amnesty fosters integration and helps avoid the mental health and family disruption issues caused by deportation. On crime, the bot noted that undocumented immigrants statistically offend less than native-born citizens—a point supported by a 2018 study from the American Society of Criminology, which found no evidence that undocumented immigration increases violent crime.

However, Grok also acknowledged drawbacks. It stated that amnesty might strain public services and be perceived as encouraging future illegal immigration. Deportation, though lawful, risks humanitarian crises, the AI added. Its final assessment: "Amnesty, with strong border policies, seems the better path."

The tweet has reignited long-standing tensions between data-backed immigration reform proposals and the more punitive approaches associated with the Trump administration. Under former President Donald Trump, immigration policy focused on enforcement and deportation, including family separation at the border and reductions in legal immigration pathways.

While @iamAtheistGirl's account is an admittedly partisan account, primarily dedicated to provoking conservatives into giving an angry response, Grok's answer, while not a political stance in itself, adds an AI-powered voice to the national conversation—one that is being interpreted as a data-driven rebuttal to hardline policies.