Senior White House Advisor Stephen Miller labeled a question by CNN‘s Jim Acosta Wednesday one of the most ‘outrageous, insulting, ignorant and foolish things’ the reporter has said, as the two barked back and forth over President Trump’s new immigration policy.
Acosta asked whether team Trump‘s new ‘skills-based immigration system,’ a plan rolled out today that favors English speakers and people with desirable skills sets, was in line with American tradition.
‘The Statue of Liberty says, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses” … doesn’t say anything about speaking English or being a computer programmer,’ Acosta said. ‘Aren’t you trying to change what it means to be an immigrant coming into this country if you’re telling them you have to speak English?’
Senior White House Advisor Stephen Miller got into a row with CNN’s Jim Acosta over the administration’s proposed skills-based immigration policy, it was rolling out today
CNN’s Jim Acosta quoted the Statue of Liberty and asked if President Trump’s new immigration policy was in line with what it said, prompting a row with aide Stephen Miller
‘Can’t people learn how to Speak English when they get here?’ Acosta asked.
The question set in motion a multi-minute back-and-forth between the 31-year-old Miller from the podium and the 46-year-old Acosta, who’s father was a Cuban immigrant, seated in the briefing room’s front row.
At first, Miller’s response was stern and academic.
Miller, a key Steven Bannon ally in the West Wing, pointed out that in order to be naturalized, a person must speak English.
‘So the notion that speaking English wouldn’t be part of our immigration system would be very ahistorical,’ the Trump aide said.
‘Secondly,’ Miller added, saying he didn’t want to get into a ‘whole thing about history here,’ but pointed out that poem on the Statue of Liberty had been added later.
Acosta sat miffed.
‘You’re saying that that does not represent what the country was always thought of, as with immigration coming into this country?’ the journalist said. ‘I’m sorry. That sounds like – that sounds like some National Park revisionism.’
‘The Statue of Liberty has always been a beacon of hope to the world, for people to send people to this country,’ Acosta said. ‘And they’re not always going to speak English, Stephen. They’re not always going to be highly skilled.’
Miller pressed Acosta on what number of immigrants would fulfill the promise of the poem on the Statue of Liberty: ‘So you’re saying a million a year is the Statue of Liberty number. 900,000 violates it. 800,000 violates it,’ he said.
‘You’re sort of bringing a “press 1 for English” philosophy here to immigration, and that’s never been what the United States has been about,’ Acosta charged.
Acosta argued that immigration was at a low point, yet the Trump administration was clamoring to build a wall and restructure the country’s green card policy, which was the piece that was announced today.
‘Surely, Jim, you don’t actually think that a wall affects green card policy. You couldn’t possibly believe that, do you?’ Miller said, berating the reporter. ‘I want to be serious, Jim. Do you really at CNN not know the different between green card policy and illegal immigration?’
Acosta turned back to the English preference, noting his own father, a Cuban boy and an American immigrant at age 11 didn’t speak English when he arrived.
‘This whole notion that they have to learn English before they get to the United States, are we just going to bring in people from the United Kingdom and Australia?’
This got Miller especially riled up.
‘I am shocked at your statement,’ the Trump aide said with great fanfare, adding it was a ‘great moment,’ and saying that twice, that he had caught Acosta saying people from Great Britain and Australia are the only ones who speak English.
‘It reveals your cosmopolitan bias to a shocking degree,’ Miller said. ‘That you think only people from Great Britain and Australia would speak English is so insulting to millions of hard working immigrants who do speak English from all over the world.’
Not deterred Acosta charged, ‘It sounds like you’re trying to engineer a racial and ethnic flow of people into this country,’ the statement that Miller found ‘outrageous, insulting, ignorant and foolish.’
At another point Miller suggested that Acosta was advocating a policy of ‘unfettered, uncontrolled migration,’ to the journalist’s protest. Acosta, as a reporter, wasn’t advocating for a policy.
‘The people who have been hurt the most by the policy you’re advocating are immigrant workers, minority workers and African-American workers and Hispanic workers,’ Miller said.
At that April Ryan, the White House correspondent for American Urban Radio Networks chimed in, asking if the administration was going to ‘target’ African-Americans for help.
‘We want to help unemployed African-Americans in this country and unemployed workers of all backgrounds get jobs,’ Miller answered. ‘And insinuations like Jim made trying to ascribe nefarious motives to a compassionate immigration measure designed to help newcomers and current arrivals alike, is wrong.’
On Twitter, Ryan dashed off, ‘What just happened! We hit a new low today! Lawd!’