A digital wildfire erupted across the United States this week as more than 200,000 people joined a social media movement demanding the deportation of Elon Musk. What began as a government-backed call for citizens to report undocumented immigrants has quickly spiraled into one of the most dramatic backlashes against a public figure in recent memory.

The target of this explosive outrage? None other than the world’s richest man, Elon Musk—a man often praised as a genius innovator, now being painted by critics as a hypocrite with a questionable immigration past.

The drama ignited shortly after the White House posted on X, formerly Twitter, encouraging Americans to report undocumented immigrants to a 24-hour tip line operated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Meant to rally patriotic vigilance, the campaign instead became a lightning rod for dissent and mockery, turning its focus squarely on Elon Musk.

The White House may have intended to spark action, but it hadn’t anticipated that one of the most influential people in the tech world would become the nation’s top nominee for deportation—at least in the eyes of tens of thousands of vocal critics.

“Hi,” one user wrote succinctly, attaching a photo of Elon Musk. “I have an illegal immigrant I would like to report.” That post alone received tens of thousands of likes, shares, and comments, opening the floodgates for an online movement that would soon spill across platforms, from X to Bluesky, Reddit to TikTok.

Under hashtags like #DeportElonMusk and #MuskOut, users flooded social media with memes, screenshots, and angry commentary. The collective message: Elon Musk, who once reportedly worked illegally in the U.S., should be treated like any other undocumented immigrant.

The root of this backlash stretches back to a controversial 1995 period, during which Musk was alleged to have briefly worked in the United States without proper documentation. The story, originally reported by the Washington Post, suggested that Musk may have violated visa laws early in his career.

Though Musk has publicly denied the claims, insisting that he followed all immigration procedures properly, the report has lived on in the public consciousness—especially among those who now view the billionaire’s current political positions as aggressively anti-immigrant.

Adding fuel to the fire is Musk’s recent appointment by President Donald Trump to oversee sweeping job cuts as the head of the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). This role, which places Musk at the center of a federal campaign to trim government “waste,” has sparked both admiration and fury.

Admirers tout his ruthless efficiency; detractors see a billionaire slashing public services with the glee of a man untouched by the consequences.

It is this new power, combined with Musk’s aggressive stance against what he terms “open borders,” that has inflamed the current storm of criticism.

“Imagine being an immigrant, making it big, and then turning around and attacking other immigrants,” one user posted, accompanied by a photo collage of Musk’s early life in South Africa and his recent controversial tweets. “That’s not just hypocrisy. That’s betrayal.”

As outrage swelled, screenshots began circulating online showing users inputting Elon Musk’s personal information into ICE’s online reporting form. Whether these reports are real or merely symbolic acts of protest is unknown—but the sheer volume of screenshots, combined with the virality of the posts, gave the campaign a heavy sense of legitimacy.

Even those who acknowledged the symbolic nature of the act encouraged others to participate, arguing that such digital actions were necessary to expose hypocrisy and reclaim the narrative around immigration.

On Bluesky, where many progressive and left-leaning users have migrated to escape what they see as Musk’s rightward drift on X, the sentiment was equally fierce. “Flood those lines,” one user wrote bluntly. Others joined in, echoing a now-viral phrase: “He came here on lies and stayed for the power. It’s time for him to go.”

While some commentators cautioned against turning the ICE hotline into a protest tool, the overwhelming tone was one of gleeful defiance. “Absolutely do NOT under ANY CIRCUMSTANCES flood this line with prank calls,” one user wrote with heavy sarcasm, a wink embedded in every word.

The irony was not lost on thousands who reposted the message, understanding full well that such mock guidance only encouraged more participation.

The White House, for its part, has remained silent on the surge of reports directed at Musk. ICE has declined to comment on individual tips or the volume of submissions. However, internal sources suggest that the agency’s online infrastructure experienced a notable spike in traffic following the viral campaign, though it remains unclear how many of those entries were directed at Musk.

Meanwhile, Musk has yet to issue a formal response. His personal account on X, known for its confrontational and meme-filled tone, has remained unusually quiet. Whether this silence is a calculated move or a rare moment of vulnerability for the tech mogul remains to be seen.

In the absence of a response, users have filled the void with parody tweets and speculative memes, imagining Musk’s reactions in everything from a tearful Oval Office address to a panicked retreat aboard a SpaceX shuttle back to “Mars or South Africa—whichever is farther from ICE.”

The backlash also shines a spotlight on the fragile relationship between wealth, privilege, and the rule of law. Critics argue that Musk’s status and money have shielded him from the scrutiny that millions of other immigrants face daily. By using the same tools of the state—ICE hotlines, immigration reporting forms—against someone so powerful, the campaign flips the narrative, forcing a conversation about equality, accountability, and justice in America.

Of course, not everyone supports the #DeportElonMusk campaign. Defenders of the billionaire accuse the movement of being little more than digital harassment, driven by envy and political spite.“

He’s created jobs, revolutionized industries, and paid more taxes than most Americans combined,” one user wrote. “This is what happens when you try to fix the system—they try to deport you.”

Still, the numbers don’t lie. With more than 200,000 users actively participating, reposting, or supporting the campaign in some form, this movement represents one of the largest direct digital actions against a private citizen in modern social media history.

It is both a protest and a symbol, an act of resistance and a moment of cultural catharsis. For better or worse, Elon Musk has once again found himself at the center of America’s most contentious debates—not just about technology or politics, but about what it means to belong.

Whether the calls for deportation will fizzle out or morph into a larger reckoning about immigration hypocrisy remains to be seen. But one thing is clear: Elon Musk may be a U.S. citizen on paper, but for millions of angry Americans this week, he’s the most prominent “undocumented symbol” of all.