Trump's immigration chief rewrites the Statue of Liberty's 'Give me your tired, your poor'

Jen Hayden

Daily Kos Staff

Tuesday August 13, 2019 · 7:00 AM PDT

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Donald Trump’s acting director of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services agency, Ken Cuccinelli, did an interview with NPR this morning that is quickly gaining a lot of attention. The man in charge of our immigration services shocked listeners by offering a new, twisted version of words at the base of the Statue of Liberty, the very symbol of America and immigration. 

The bronze plaque at the Statue of Liberty features an 1883 poem by Emma Lazarus titled “The New Colossus.” Lazarus’ words became a beacon for America, a symbol of pride, and the poem is most famously remembered for these lines:

"Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

Ken Cuccinelli offered his own take on the motto, claiming it should read, “Give me your tired and your poor who can stand on their own two feet, and who will not become a public charge." 

In other words, we can only accept those who are already on their own two feet. Poor people need not apply. Cuccinelli said as much at a White House press briefing yesterday, where he unveiled new “public charge” rules for immigrants, allowing "the federal government to take into account income and education while reviewing a potential immigrant's request for a visa or green card." 

In fact, long before Cuccinelli was installed in his role as acting director of immigration services, he’s had disdain for immigrants. When he was the attorney general of Virginia, he did an interview with a conservative radio station in which he compared the rat control problem in Washington, D.C., to immigrant families. Seriously. From DCist:

Cuccinelli: Well, I saw the same rat story about D.C. that y’all have been talking about. What you may not know is that last year, in its finite wisdom, the D.C. City Council passed a new law, or a triumph of animal rights over human health, where those pest control people you suggested they bring in aren’t allowed to kill the rats. They have to relocate the rats and not only that — that’s actually not the worst part — they cannot break up the families of the rats. Now, as actual experts in pest control will tell you, if you don’t move an animal at least 25 miles, it’ll come back. And so what’s the solution to that? Well, cross a river.

Host: Send ’em over to Virginia, that’s right.

Cuccinelli: Guess why I care about that sort of thing?

Other host: I bet.

Cuccinelli: Anyway, it is worse than our immigration policy — you can’t break up families. Or raccoons or all the rest and you can’t even kill them. Unbelievable.

I for one look forward to Ken Cuccinelli inevitably leaving the Trump administration even more disgraced than when he arrived. Because that is how it ends for every deplorable rat who joins this administration. I’ll be here for it.

Until then, please enjoy the work of Emma Lazarus and remember these words, which are both our past and our future. 

The New Colossus

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame, With conquering limbs astride from land to land; Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame. "Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
Emma Lazarus
November 2, 1883