All students in American schools learn the inspiring story of struggling immigrants entering Ellis Island, who see the Statue of Liberty and its bronze plaque with the words, "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
These words are the very basis of the story that is the United States of America.
Unfortunately, these words no longer ring true. When we deport the most vulnerable of humanity, children who are trying to escape violence and drug wars, we can no longer lay claim the ideals expressed in this iconic poem.
Words must match actions. If deportations continue, we must remove the plaque from the Statue of Liberty.