SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Acting Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Ken Cuccinelli speaks about immigration policy during a briefing at the White House on August 12, 2019 in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Chen Mengtong/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images)
'Just Reciting White Nationalist Talking Points': Trump Immigration Chief Says Statue of Liberty Poem Only About Europeans
"This administration finally admitted what we’ve known all along: They think the Statue of Liberty only applies to white people."
Aug 14, 2019
Continuing his efforts to put a right-wing and racist spin on the welcoming message etched on the Statue of Liberty, President Donald Trump's acting immigration chief Ken Cuccinelli told CNN Tuesday night that the famous poem by Emma Lazarus--"Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be free"--refers specifically to Europeans.
After CNN anchor Erin Burnett quoted directly from the poem, Cuccinelli claimed it is "referring back to people coming from Europe where they had class-based societies, where people were considered wretched if they weren't in the right class."
As HuffPost's Sarah Ruiz-Grossman pointed out, however, the "poem itself describes the Statue of Liberty by saying, 'From her beacon-hand/Glows world-wide welcome.'"
Watch Cuccinelli's comments:
\u201cCNN's Erin Burnett challenges acting US Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Ken Cuccinelli on the Trump administration's new immigration regulation, saying her grandparents came to America with no education and that the rule would exclude people like her.\u201d— OutFrontCNN (@OutFrontCNN) 1565740784
Cuccinelli's remarks in defense of the Trump administration's so-called "public charge" rule--which would deny permanent residency to immigrants who have used public benefits like food stamps and housing assistance--sparked furious backlash, with progressives and presidential candidates slamming the comments as explicitly racist.
"Cuccinelli is just reciting white nationalist talking points verbatim here," tweeted Waleed Shahid, spokesperson for Justice Democrats.
Beto O'Rourke, a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, said Cuccinelli's remarks amounted to an admission by the Trump administration of "what we've known all along."
"They think the Statue of Liberty only applies to white people," O'Rourke tweeted.
\u201cThis administration finally admitted what we\u2019ve known all along: They think the Statue of Liberty only applies to white people.\u201d— Beto O'Rourke (@Beto O'Rourke) 1565745110
Cuccinelli's CNN appearance came just hours after he rephrased Lazarus' poem during an interview on NPR.
"Give me your tired and your poor who can stand on their own two feet and who will not become a public charge," Cuccinelli said.
In response to Cuccinelli's NPR interview, historian Annie Polland--executive director of the American Jewish Historical Society, which has the original manuscript of Lazarus' poem--condemned Trump's immigration chief for attempting to rewrite history in service of a xenophobic agenda.
"To see how something so expressive of the country's greatest ideals, to see how it could be so contorted or distorted, is really, I think dismay is the only word," Polland told HuffPost.
Why Your Ongoing Support Is Essential
Donald Trump’s attacks on democracy, justice, and a free press are escalating — putting everything we stand for at risk. We believe a better world is possible, but we can’t get there without your support. Common Dreams stands apart. We answer only to you — our readers, activists, and changemakers — not to billionaires or corporations. Our independence allows us to cover the vital stories that others won’t, spotlighting movements for peace, equality, and human rights. Right now, our work faces unprecedented challenges. Misinformation is spreading, journalists are under attack, and financial pressures are mounting. As a reader-supported, nonprofit newsroom, your support is crucial to keep this journalism alive. Whatever you can give — $10, $25, or $100 — helps us stay strong and responsive when the world needs us most. Together, we’ll continue to build the independent, courageous journalism our movement relies on. Thank you for being part of this community. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Continuing his efforts to put a right-wing and racist spin on the welcoming message etched on the Statue of Liberty, President Donald Trump's acting immigration chief Ken Cuccinelli told CNN Tuesday night that the famous poem by Emma Lazarus--"Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be free"--refers specifically to Europeans.
After CNN anchor Erin Burnett quoted directly from the poem, Cuccinelli claimed it is "referring back to people coming from Europe where they had class-based societies, where people were considered wretched if they weren't in the right class."
As HuffPost's Sarah Ruiz-Grossman pointed out, however, the "poem itself describes the Statue of Liberty by saying, 'From her beacon-hand/Glows world-wide welcome.'"
Watch Cuccinelli's comments:
\u201cCNN's Erin Burnett challenges acting US Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Ken Cuccinelli on the Trump administration's new immigration regulation, saying her grandparents came to America with no education and that the rule would exclude people like her.\u201d— OutFrontCNN (@OutFrontCNN) 1565740784
Cuccinelli's remarks in defense of the Trump administration's so-called "public charge" rule--which would deny permanent residency to immigrants who have used public benefits like food stamps and housing assistance--sparked furious backlash, with progressives and presidential candidates slamming the comments as explicitly racist.
"Cuccinelli is just reciting white nationalist talking points verbatim here," tweeted Waleed Shahid, spokesperson for Justice Democrats.
Beto O'Rourke, a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, said Cuccinelli's remarks amounted to an admission by the Trump administration of "what we've known all along."
"They think the Statue of Liberty only applies to white people," O'Rourke tweeted.
\u201cThis administration finally admitted what we\u2019ve known all along: They think the Statue of Liberty only applies to white people.\u201d— Beto O'Rourke (@Beto O'Rourke) 1565745110
Cuccinelli's CNN appearance came just hours after he rephrased Lazarus' poem during an interview on NPR.
"Give me your tired and your poor who can stand on their own two feet and who will not become a public charge," Cuccinelli said.
In response to Cuccinelli's NPR interview, historian Annie Polland--executive director of the American Jewish Historical Society, which has the original manuscript of Lazarus' poem--condemned Trump's immigration chief for attempting to rewrite history in service of a xenophobic agenda.
"To see how something so expressive of the country's greatest ideals, to see how it could be so contorted or distorted, is really, I think dismay is the only word," Polland told HuffPost.
Continuing his efforts to put a right-wing and racist spin on the welcoming message etched on the Statue of Liberty, President Donald Trump's acting immigration chief Ken Cuccinelli told CNN Tuesday night that the famous poem by Emma Lazarus--"Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be free"--refers specifically to Europeans.
After CNN anchor Erin Burnett quoted directly from the poem, Cuccinelli claimed it is "referring back to people coming from Europe where they had class-based societies, where people were considered wretched if they weren't in the right class."
As HuffPost's Sarah Ruiz-Grossman pointed out, however, the "poem itself describes the Statue of Liberty by saying, 'From her beacon-hand/Glows world-wide welcome.'"
Watch Cuccinelli's comments:
\u201cCNN's Erin Burnett challenges acting US Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Ken Cuccinelli on the Trump administration's new immigration regulation, saying her grandparents came to America with no education and that the rule would exclude people like her.\u201d— OutFrontCNN (@OutFrontCNN) 1565740784
Cuccinelli's remarks in defense of the Trump administration's so-called "public charge" rule--which would deny permanent residency to immigrants who have used public benefits like food stamps and housing assistance--sparked furious backlash, with progressives and presidential candidates slamming the comments as explicitly racist.
"Cuccinelli is just reciting white nationalist talking points verbatim here," tweeted Waleed Shahid, spokesperson for Justice Democrats.
Beto O'Rourke, a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, said Cuccinelli's remarks amounted to an admission by the Trump administration of "what we've known all along."
"They think the Statue of Liberty only applies to white people," O'Rourke tweeted.
\u201cThis administration finally admitted what we\u2019ve known all along: They think the Statue of Liberty only applies to white people.\u201d— Beto O'Rourke (@Beto O'Rourke) 1565745110
Cuccinelli's CNN appearance came just hours after he rephrased Lazarus' poem during an interview on NPR.
"Give me your tired and your poor who can stand on their own two feet and who will not become a public charge," Cuccinelli said.
In response to Cuccinelli's NPR interview, historian Annie Polland--executive director of the American Jewish Historical Society, which has the original manuscript of Lazarus' poem--condemned Trump's immigration chief for attempting to rewrite history in service of a xenophobic agenda.
"To see how something so expressive of the country's greatest ideals, to see how it could be so contorted or distorted, is really, I think dismay is the only word," Polland told HuffPost.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.