Elon Musk’s Exit Signals New Era for Enhanced Government Border Security and Efficiency
Department of Government Efficiency's initiatives lead to significant savings and major policy reforms on border security and immigration.
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is charting a new course after the high-profile departure of Elon Musk on Friday, marking a continuing period of sweeping reforms in federal operations, particularly in immigration and border security policies. In recent months, DOGE has intensified its efforts to root out government waste and streamline spending, positioning itself as a lead player in the push to reduce unnecessary expenditures across multiple agencies.
According to White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson, DOGE’s focus on eliminating longstanding inefficiencies has led to the termination of costly contracts and programs that failed to serve taxpayers. Notably, the department cut an $83 million contract for an unused immigration facility at the southern border and revoked more than $80 million in FEMA funding previously allocated to providing hotel accommodations for illegal immigrants, including at prominent New York City locations such as the Roosevelt Hotel. These actions are being touted as decisive steps in ending what officials describe as a misallocation of public funds during prior periods of heightened border migration.
Further highlighting its impact, DOGE approved a plan in March to resume border wall construction along seven critical miles of the U.S.-Mexico border, a move praised by administration officials as a direct contribution to national security. "Secretary Noem announced that we officially awarded the first [DOGE] approved contract to restart construction on President Trump’s border wall," the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shared in a public update. The continued emphasis on physical and procedural enforcement measures underscores the administration’s renewed approach toward border management.
DOGE’s efforts have also shone a spotlight on federal benefit misuse by individuals lacking legal status. An internal review revealed that several individuals on the FBI’s terror watchlist, along with hundreds of others with criminal backgrounds, accessed various public benefits. The tally included Medicaid claims, unemployment payments, student loans, and significant tax refunds, collectively amounting to nearly $1.3 million in taxpayer costs just this year. In response, DHS and affiliated agencies have swiftly revoked the legal status of over 6,300 parolees identified as security risks or possessing criminal records, aiming to halt further abuses immediately.
Beyond border and immigration-related savings, DOGE’s reach has extended to other branches of government. The U.S. Coast Guard, in partnership with DOGE, abolished a costly and ineffective information technology system, capturing a projected savings of $32.7 million. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem described the move as "another win for government efficiency," emphasizing that redirected funds would bolster frontline operations vital to national safety and infrastructure defense.
Efforts to curb benefit exploitation have also led to collaborative initiatives between DHS and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to prevent unauthorized access to public housing resources. In a similar vein, the administration decided to shutter FEMA’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program, which leadership considered both wasteful and overly politicized. Officials argue that these reallocations ensure assistance reaches Americans genuinely affected by disasters, rather than being entangled in bureaucratic inefficiency.
President Donald Trump’s policy directives during his second term have provided a strong mandate for these sweeping changes, resulting in a notable drop in border encounters and a rigorous crackdown on unauthorized immigrants with criminal histories living within the United States. With an estimated total of $175 billion in taxpayer savings attributed to DOGE’s interventions to date, the department’s overhaul continues to reshape federal spending priorities and government accountability in the emerging landscape of American public policy.
