It was obvious when he called during the campaign for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States. “It’s not the Muslim ban,” Trump insisted to Muir. In their overwhelming majority refugees are fleeing violence in their homelands, not plotting it against the United States. As Trump’s “AMERICA FIRST,” “AMERICA FIRST” echoed across my living room I thought of Emma Lazarus’ words inscribed on the pedestal of the statue:“Give me your tired, your poor,Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.”Friedrich Trump, a penniless German immigrant, was one of those “huddled masses” back in 1885. Over time, but not without struggle, I believe the torch will prove stronger than Trump’s fear-filled jingoistic darkness.

Source: New York Times January 27, 2017 11:00 UTC