Billionaire Elon Musk, billed as an “enemy of open borders,” briefly worked illegally in the United States in 1995. According to an explosive report from The Washington PostMusk was deemed illegal in the country after dropping out of a graduate program in California. In the past, Musk has said his transition from student to entrepreneur was a “legal gray area.”

However, the Tesla CEO pushed a visceral hatred towards illegal immigrants after supporting former US President Donald Trump. The Washington Post A report released on Saturday claims that Musk was almost certainly working in the United States without proper authorization during a period in 1995.

During this period, the SpaceX chief left Stanford University to work on his first company, Zip2, which was sold for around $300 million four years later. Legal experts have stressed that foreign students cannot abandon their studies to start a business, even if they are not paid for it. However, The Washington Post argued that before the devastating September 11 attacks, student visa regulations were more lax.

Is this a serious matter?

Leon Fresco, a former immigration litigator at the US Department of Justice, told the US media outlet that if someone in the country illegally works in an entity that generates income, they could get in trouble. “If you’re doing something that helps facilitate revenue generation, like design code or trying to make sales in an effort to generate revenue, then you’re in trouble,” Fresco explained.

However, according to The Washington Post“Although extending the length of stay on a student visa is quite common and authorities sometimes turn a blind eye, it remains illegal.” In the past, Musk claimed that he worked legally in the country.

“I was there legally, but I was supposed to do student work. I had the right to work to support anything,” the world’s richest billionaire previously said. Musk’s immigration status came under scrutiny after Trump touted his desire to play a leading role focused on government efficiency in a second Trump administration if he returns to the Oval Office .

Biden takes pictures

Shortly after the explosive report made headlines, US President Joe Biden called out the South African-born billionaire for his hypocrisy on immigration. The US president insisted Musk began his long career in the US as an “illegal worker” before becoming the world’s richest man.

The president commented on the issue while campaigning for Democratic presidential candidate and Vice President Kamala Harris in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. “The richest man in the world turned out to be an illegal worker here when he was here,” referring to Musk as Trump’s new wealthy ally.

“He was supposed to be at school when he arrived on a student visa. He wasn’t at school. He was breaking the law. He talks about all these “illegals” who come towards us,” he added.