What does the Statue of Liberty have to do with your immigration laws?

Answer 1

She says, "Enter my country legally, according to law, and I will be glad to lift my lamp beside the golden door."

The Statue of Liberty was a gift from France to commemorate our signing of the Declaration of Independence. It has become symbolic of many things but has nothing to do with Immigration law.

Another view:

Actually, the Statue of Liberty says in part, " "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-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

We've had well over a century to take that down or cross that out if we don't like it. And as Alicia Silverstone's character "Cher" in the movie "Clueless" pointed out, it's a bit rude to invite people over for dinner, then shut the door in their face.

No where in the inscription does it speak of quotas or paperwork or immigration laws. Are you tired? Poor? Yearning to breathe free? Homeless? Tempest tossed? Then you are invited.

So what does the Statue of Liberty have to do with Immigration laws? Nothing. It's just a lie, the government owned and maintained invitation is not honored.