@TheH2 I'd be willing to consider going back to 1886 immigration if we go back to the 1886 version of the Constitution.
— Drew McCoy (@_Drew_McCoy_) November 24, 2015
With the debate over what to do with Syrian refugees at the center of American discourse following the horrific terrorist attacks on Paris, plenty have quoted what lines they can remember from Emma Lazarus’ sonnet “The New Colossus” in their arguments.
Those angriest about efforts to reject or more thoroughly vet Syrian refugees, including politicians, haven’t hesitated to bring Lady Liberty into the argument.
USA should embrace refugees, not fear them. Words on Statue of Liberty shouldn't be empty promise #RefugeesWelcome https://t.co/NeCWLz2w24
— Madeleine Albright (@madeleine) November 18, 2015
Cuomo: “The day America says ‘Close the gates, build the wall,’ then I say take down the Statue of Liberty…" https://t.co/axpKQvN8SH
— Melissa DeRosa (@melissadderosa) November 17, 2015
Lindsey Graham says the US should tear down the Statue of Liberty if it won't take Syrian refugees http://t.co/Oub5C4mDly
— Niels Lesniewski (@nielslesniewski) September 8, 2015
President Obama hasn’t called for the statue to be torn down if he doesn’t get his way, but the man who, stalled in his effort to pass comprehensive gun control, whined that he was “constrained by a system our founders put in place” is also a member of the Emma Lazarus fan club. The Constitution can be such a pain, but it still trumps a poem that was bolted onto the Statue of Liberty years after it was dedicated.
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President Obama gave a dramatic reading of the poem’s most famous lines during a joint press conference with France’s President François Hollande.
"'Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.' That’s the spirit that makes us Americans." —@POTUS
— White House Archived (@ObamaWhiteHouse) November 24, 2015
"Even as we are relentless in the face of evil, we draw on what’s best in ourselves and in the character of our countries." —@POTUS
— White House Archived (@ObamaWhiteHouse) November 24, 2015
So it wasn’t until 1903 that a poem revealed the spirit that makes us Americans? It’s a great poem, but could we please discuss immigration seriously, in context of the law? And deal with terrorism while we’re at it?
"Next week, I’ll be joining President Hollande and world leaders in Paris for the global climate conference." —@POTUS #ActOnClimate #COP21
— White House Archived (@ObamaWhiteHouse) November 24, 2015
Oh, that’s right. ISIS isn’t invited to the big climate conference in Paris. That’ll be a “powerful rebuke” to the terrorists.
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