White House argues with CNN reporter about meaning of Statue of Liberty

Capping off weeks of tumult in Washington, the White House Press briefing recently descended into a heated argument between reporters and the administration about the Statue of Liberty.

Senior presidential advisor Stephen Miller stopped by the press briefing to promote an immigration bill that Donald Trump has recently thrown his weight behind. The bill would implement a “merit-based” policy for doling out US visas, prioritising those applicants who are financially independent and able to speak English.

Mr Miller – a central author of Mr Trump’s travel ban on six Muslim majority countries – described this latest policy as “compassionate” and "common-sense".

Some reporters, however, seemed to disagree.

“The Statue of Liberty says, ‘Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free’,” said CNN’s Jim Acosta, referring to the poem inscribed under the iconic American statue. “It doesn't say anything about speaking English.”

Mr Miller countered by saying that the poem was “not actually part of the original Statue of Liberty”.

“The poem that you’re referring to was added later,” he told Mr Acosta.

The exchange set off a fierce debate over the meaning of the Statue of Liberty, and the intentions of American immigration policy as a whole. At one point, Mr Acosta appeared to insinuate that Mr Trump’s immigration policy was racist.

“This whole notion of, ‘Well, they have to learn English before they get to the United States’ - Are we just going to bring in people from Great Britain and Australia?” he asked. “...It just sounds like you’re trying to engineer the racial and ethnic flow of people into this country with this policy.”

Mr Miller called the comments “outrageous, insulting, ignorant and foolish,” and accused Mr Acosta of ascribing nefarious motives to a “compassionate” bill.

“I am shocked at your statement that you think that only people from Great Britain and Australia would know English,” he said. “It reveals your cosmopolitan bias to a shocking degree.”

The immigration bill in question has been stalled in the Senate since February, and is unlikely to make it out of the chamber – much less become law. But the potent backlash revealed the strong feelings Mr Trump’s stance on immigration still evokes.

The President has fuelled the immigration debate since the day he announced his candidacy, famously labelling some Mexican immigrant “rapists” and “criminals”. His travel ban on six Muslim-majority countries reignited allegations of racism. Just last week, he delivered an impassioned speech on a Central American gang that many viewed as an attempt to once again tie Latino immigrants to crime.

New York Times reporter Glenn Thrush, perhaps responding to allegations of racism around this most recent policy, asked Mr Miller on Wednesday for statistics to back it up. Specifically, he asked for citations proving increased immigration drove down American workers’ wages.

After listing of the names of several researchers, Mr Miller suggested his audience “use common sense” in analysing the policy.

“Steve, I’m not asking for common sense, I’m asking for statistical data,” Mr Thrush replied.

“Maybe we’ll make a carve-out in the bill that says the New York Times can hire all the low-skilled, less-paid workers they want from other countries and see how you feel then about low-wage substitution,” Mr Miller shot back.

He added: “Maybe it’s time we had compassion, Glenn, for American workers.”