Trump official says poor immigrants not welcome in U.S. if they can’t pull on their own bootstraps

“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathefree,”are in part the famous words on the pedestal of the Statue ofLiberty.But , the Trump appointee who is the acting director of theU.S.Citizenship and Immigration Services says themes sage is only meantfor the poor who can stand on their own two feet and will not become apublic charge.

Ken Cuccinelli during an NPR interview said the American tradition forwelcoming immigrants is directed to those who are “self sufficient, canpull themselves up from their bootstraps.”

These comments coincide with the Trump administration putting into placethat would take into account an immigrant’s current or possible futurereliance on government support such as food, health care and housing subsidies, when reviewing applications for permanent status. The newregulation is set to go into effect Oct. 15.