tronanews.com

Where Emma Lazarus’s “The New Colossus” offered unconditional welcome, proclaiming, “Give me your tired, your poor/ Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free/ The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,” Cuccinelli, the acting head of Citizenship and Immigration Services, offered a revision when asked by NPR if the lines of the poem were “part of the American ethos.”

“They certainly are—give me your tired and your poor who can stand on their own two feet and who will not become a public charge,” said Cuccinelli, who was on Morning Edition to discuss a new “public charge” rule that would make it more difficult for immigrants who have used public benefits such as Medicaid, food stamps, and Section 8 housing to qualify for a green card. The new regulation is slated to go into effect 60 days from Monday. (It does not appear that Cuccinelli was actually proposing a rewrite to the physical plaque, but his words quickly went viral.)