The Immigration Act of 1882 gave the US government authority to prohibit entry to people who were likely to become a 'public charge.' This law was passed around the same time as the Chinese Exclusion Act, which barred Chinese workers from coming to the US and blocked Chinese nationals in the US from becoming citizens. The poem was also mentioned and more or less rewritten by US Citizenship and Immigration Services Acting Director Ken Cuccinelli on Tuesday.

Read more: Trump's top immigration official reimagined the Statue of Liberty poem to argue the US should welcome only immigrants 'who can stand on their own 2 feet' The poem that you're referring to was added later (and) is not actually part of the original Statue of Liberty.' Miller replied, ' I don't want to get off into a whole thing about history here, but the Statue of Liberty is a symbol of American liberty lighting the world.

Aren't you trying to change what it means to be an immigrant coming into this country if you're telling them that you have to speak English?' It often indicates a user profile.Īs Miller faced questions from reporters over a skill-based immigration proposal from the administration, CNN's Jim Acosta said, 'The Statue of Liberty says, 'Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free.' It doesn't say anything about speaking English or being a computer programmer.

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Give us your tired your poor poem