The Irony of Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric in New York: A City Welcoming the “Tired, Poor, and Huddled Masses” Since Day One
Introduction: The Statue That Spoke for Millions
New York City has always been a paradox of steel and sentiment, of grit and grandeur. But perhaps no single monument captures its essence more than the Statue of Liberty — the towering, oxidized-green figure in New York Harbor that has greeted millions of immigrants with a silent promise: Here, you can begin again.
Yet today, in a political and social climate increasingly hostile to immigrants, particularly in urban centers like NYC, it feels almost surreal to hear people complain that “immigrants are taking over the city.” It’s a sentiment at odds not only with the character of the city, but with its very origin story, cast in bronze and standing 151 feet tall.
Let’s unpack the contradiction — and why this kind of rhetoric isn’t just hypocritical, but historically blind.
1. The Statue of Liberty Was Literally Built to Welcome Immigrants
A gift from France, the Statue of Liberty was erected in 1886 as a symbol of freedom, democracy, and hope. But over time, especially after the poem The New Colossus by Emma Lazarus was added to its pedestal in 1903, it became something more: a global symbol of refuge for immigrants.
"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free..."
These lines didn’t just become famous — they defined a national identity. For immigrants fleeing famine, war, persecution, or poverty, Lady Liberty wasn’t just a statue; she was a signpost pointing to salvation.
2. Ellis Island and the Foundation of the City
Between 1892 and 1954, over 12 million immigrants passed through Ellis Island, located just next to Liberty Island. The majority of them were processed, cleared, and allowed to begin a new life in America — and most stayed in or near New York City to do it.
From the Irish fleeing famine, to Italians escaping poverty, to Eastern European Jews fleeing pogroms, to Chinese railroad workers, Caribbean laborers, and later Latin American migrants — New York City became a mosaic of languages, faiths, cuisines, and customs. That diversity wasn’t an accident — it was the point.
So when someone complains that immigrants are “flooding” or “taking over” New York, it’s worth asking: Who do you think built this city? Whose hands laid the bricks, whose backs carried the loads, and whose children became its future?
3. Anti-Immigrant Sentiment Isn’t New — But It’s Still Wrong
It’s important to remember that anti-immigrant backlash is as old as immigration itself. The Irish were once called subhuman. Italians were labeled criminals. Chinese immigrants were excluded by law. Jews were seen as cultural outsiders. Latinos and Africans were dismissed as inferior. Muslims were deemed dangerous.
Yet time and again, those very communities went on to shape New York — from business and medicine to politics, media, education, music, and food. Today, complaining about immigrant influence in New York is like ordering a pizza and being mad it has toppings.
4. The Economic Engine of Immigration
Beyond culture, there’s another reality: immigrants are essential to the economy of New York. They make up a disproportionate number of healthcare workers, construction laborers, small business owners, delivery drivers, and service industry professionals. They pay taxes, rent apartments, buy groceries, and enroll their kids in school. Many are undocumented, yet pay billions in taxes annually without ever claiming most benefits.
Far from “draining” the system, immigrants fuel it — and they’ve done so for over a century.
5. The Hypocrisy of Nostalgia
Often, anti-immigrant rhetoric is rooted in nostalgia — a wish to return to a “better” or “simpler” version of New York. But this version often leaves out uncomfortable truths: that every wave of immigrants was once seen as an existential threat, and that the neighborhoods people now romanticize were often built by and for immigrants.
What’s often missed is this: the cultural richness that people love about New York — from Chinatown to Little Italy, from Caribbean Day Parade to the Puerto Rican Day Parade, from Halal carts to bodegas — is immigrant culture. Without it, New York would be unrecognizable.
6. Liberty for Whom? The Moral Failure of Selective Patriotism
It’s especially ironic when nativists wave the American flag while simultaneously rejecting the values it supposedly represents. You can’t praise the Constitution and the “Land of the Free” while trying to close the gates behind you. You can’t claim to love freedom while opposing asylum seekers. And you certainly can’t look at the Statue of Liberty — with her lamp lifted beside the golden door — and pretend she’s just there for decoration.
Either you believe in liberty and opportunity for all — or you’re just using patriotism as a mask for prejudice.
Conclusion: Don’t Forget Who We Are
New York has always been a city of immigrants — not by accident, but by design. Its strength lies not in homogeneity, but in pluralism. Its power is in the way it adapts, absorbs, and elevates. Immigrants haven’t taken over New York — they’ve always been New York.
The next time someone complains about immigrants “invading” the city, remind them that there’s a 151-foot statue in the harbor — put there over a century ago — that says otherwise. And she’s not just made of copper and steel. She’s made of values — values that still matter, if we choose to honor them.