Stephen Colbert faces backlash after mocking Biden's new border policy with poem on the Statue of Liberty

MANHATTAN, NEW YORK CITY: On June 5 episode of 'The Late Show', comedian Stephen Colbert humorously parodied a well-known poem (on the Statue of Liberty), Emma Lazarus’s famous 1883 sonnet 'The New Colossus', on immigration, to satirize President Joe Biden's recent border security measures.

Colbert's comments come after the White House unveiled executive actions on June 3, aimed at curbing illegal immigration at the southern border, particularly concerning asylum claims, sparking discontent among many progressives, including Colbert.

The poem, famously inscribed on the Statue of Liberty, is frequently quoted by immigration advocates.

Stephen Colbert mocks Joe Biden's executive order on asylum seekers

"Yesterday, Biden signed a controversial executive order that allows the president to suspend granting immigrants asylum if the number of asylum seekers averages more than 2,500 a day," Colbert said on the show.

He added, "In response, they changed the poem on the Statue of Liberty to read: ‘Give us your tired, your poor, your huddled masses up to 2,500 people a day, while supplies last, only valid at participating Dairy Queens.’" 

The complete poem reads, “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-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

Colbert pointed out Senator John Kennedy's critique, featuring a clip where Kennedy remarked, "President Biden is in trouble politically. He’s polling right up there with fungal infections."

This marked the second consecutive night Colbert lampooned Biden's border policy shift.

On the night of June 4, Colbert humorously suggested Biden should market the border security plan to Democrats by saying, "The wall is going to be gluten-free, and the barbed wire will be pro-choice. It’s not a border wall; it’s a bord-Her wall."

"Sir, show some respect," Colbert replied. "He’s polling right up there with ‘Former President Fungal Infections'." 

'The New Colossus' gained recognition since Donald Trump's 2016 election 

The Atlantic wrote that the poem has increased visibility since Donald Trump’s election in 2016. 

The text has been a focal point in recent debates, such as when CNN reporter Jim Acosta cited it to then-Trump advisor Stephen Miller while criticizing the Trump administration's immigration policies.

Miller responded in 2017, "The poem that you’re referring to was added later and is not actually part of the original Statue of Liberty."

Far-left organizations like the "Jewish Voice for Peace" have also quoted Emma Lazarus, a Zionist herself, to advocate for a cease-fire in Gaza.

In 2023, during a protest at the Statue of Liberty, they declared, "The famous words of our Sephardi Jewish ancestor Emma Lazarus etched into this monument compel us to take action to support Palestinians yearning to breathe free."

Stephen Colbert receives backlash for mockery of Joe Biden's immigration policy  

Colbert's parodied the poem placed on the Statue of Liberty to mock Biden's policy shift on immigration received massive backlash as one viewer expressed, "It’s getting pretty bad when Colbert mocks anything Biden does… is he running out of Trump material…."

In a similar fashion, another observer added, "Colbert should welcome them into his home, I’m sure he has extra space."

Furthermore, a viewer pointed out, "Very funny. The important point to remember is that "Give me your tired, your poor" was from a poem, not the law. Democrats seem to think that's a law. There is no law that says we have to accept every poor person on earth. In fact, the law says quite the opposite. You have to specifically show political or religious persecution to claim asylum. We are a nation of laws, not poems."

Joining the discussion, a follower shared, "Last I heard, the words on the Statue of Liberty aren’t in the constitution."

A remark underscored, "I'd be willing to make two bets. First, Colbert lives in a walled, gated community with security guards. Second, he has NO illegal aliens living in his house rent-free."

Similarly, another comment echoed, "They should give every illegal crossing this guys home address and tell them he will support them financially."

Delving deeper into the topic, an individual elaborated, "How many asylum seekers are living in YOUR house, Steve??"

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