Acting Director of Citizenship and Immigration Services Ken Cuccinelli offered a rewrite of the famous poem inscribed on the Statue of Liberty on Tuesday while arguing for the Trump administration’s new immigration policy. It will penalize legal immigrants who use food stamps.
In an interview with NPR, Cuccinelli suggested changing the words of Emma Lazarus‘s poem.
When asked if the poem was part of the American ethos, he said, “They certainly are.” He then added his alternate version, saying, “Give me your tired and your poor who can stand on their own two feet, and who will not become a public charge.”
Later, in an interview with CNN, Cuccinelli implied that the Statue of Liberty was only meant to welcome white immigrants. He said, “Well, of course that poem was referring back to people coming from Europe where they had class-based societies.” (Daily Beast)
Hot Takes:
- Hopefully, they will not actually rewrite the actual poem inscribed on the Statue of Liberty.
- This is sacrilege. Trump and has cronies are perverting the American way.
- Cuccinelli is right. Immigrants should be able to stand on their own or shouldn’t be allowed into the U.S.