The Immigration chief of the U.S President Donald Trump has suggested a poem etched onto the Statue of Liberty would better read as “Give me your tired and your poor, who can stand on their own two feet”. His suggestion came after the Trump administration announced new hard-line rules for legal immigrants. The acting head of Citizenship and Immigration Services, Ken Cuccinelli defended the new rules of the White House administration and these rules could limit legal immigration. He said, “It doesn’t seem like too much to ask to continue that tradition of inviting immigrants here who will not essentially go on welfare”.
The new rules were announced on Monday and it would effectively make it easier for U.S immigration officials to deny visa and green card applications for legal immigrants who have used certain forms of government aid, including housing assistance, food stamps and most forms of Medicaid. Cuccinelli said on Tuesday, “Would you also agree Emma Lazarus’ words etched on the Statue of Liberty ‘give me your tired, your poor’ are also part of the American ethos? They certainly are”. He added, “Give me your tired and your poor, who can stand on their own two feet and who will not become a public charge. That plaque was put on the Statue of Liberty at almost the same time as the first public charge law was passed, very interesting timing”.
It is noteworthy that States and activist groups swiftly announced intentions to sue over the new guidelines. The New York attorney general Letitia James described in a statement that yet one more example of Trump’s administration turning its back on people fighting to make a better life for them and their families. The acting immigration chief went on to describe America’s welfare system as “overburdened and bankrupt”. He suggested the White House was only enforcing rules established under former President Bill Clinton. Cuccinelli added, “America has generously opened its doors for many years and we continue to do so. It’s a privilege we’ve offered to people all around the world for the entire duration of our history, but that privilege starts with certain expectations”.