In the tempestuous battlefield of American politics, there are few topics that generate as much heat and debate as immigration – especially illegal immigration. As the nation faces a three-year-long border crisis caused by President Joe Biden, immigration has become even more of a hot-button issue.

Asylum seekers and illegal aliens have been swarming to the southern border ever since the president took office, and there still appears to be no end in sight. Meanwhile, the White House has failed to take any meaningful action to curb the flow of people across the border, and smugglers are finding new and clever ways to sneak people into the country while avoiding the authorities.

Democrats have historically taken a lax approach to immigration. Leftist politicians and media figures have roundly criticized conservatives and Republicans who advocate for stricter enforcement of immigration laws. This criticism intensified when former President Donald Trump came onto the scene promising to close the southern border and deport illegals.

Progressives would argue that they favor open borders policies because immigrants contribute to the well-being of the nation and because many are fleeing horrific economic and societal troubles in their home countries. But is there an ulterior motive?

Elon Musk wrote a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Monday highlighting what many know but Democrats don’t want to admit: They want more illegal and legal immigration because they believe it will give them certain electoral advantages over the long term.

Dems won’t deport, because every illegal is a highly likely vote at some point.

That simple incentive explains what seems to be insane behavior.

It has become so brazen that a gang of illegals can beat up police officers on camera in Times Square, get out of jail for free and *still* not get deported!

Instead, a partly federally funded NGO bought them free tickets to California …

Dems won’t deport, because every illegal is a highly likely vote at some point.

That simple incentive explains what seems to be insane behavior.

It has become so brazen that a gang of illegals can beat up police officers on camera in Times Square, get out of jail for free and… https://t.co/9lMpDNsAS1

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 26, 2024

At the heart of Musk’s post is a straightforward premise: More immigration will eventually give Democrats an electoral edge over their political opposition. However, there is a component to this that Musk might be missing. It is not only about securing the votes of these individuals. Yes, when they manage to shove through another amnesty providing a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants, they will most likely win the majority of those votes.

But there is more to it.

More immigrants would also give Democrats more electoral votes in presidential elections and could result in more seats in Congress. The idea is that the people who cross the border are more likely to gather in blue states with sanctuary cities. This way, they do not have to worry about deportation as much as they would in other areas of the country.

This influx would inflate the populations of these states. These individuals would be counted on the Census as residents, which could allow these states to have more seats in the House of Representatives while also granting them more electoral votes – especially when legal and illegal immigrants start having more children.

Musk was touching on an issue that has been a reality for decades. Of course, it is not as if Republicans have been great on immigration either. They typically offer a milquetoast resistance to Democrats’ open borders policies while loudly decrying the situation at the southern border. Indeed, many GOP lawmakers actively opposed Trump’s immigration agenda, fighting him at every turn. Still, this does not take away from the fact that Democrats are not pushing for open borders out of the kindness of their bleeding hearts. They are doing it for political expediency.