Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas) on Tuesday proposed a 10-year moratorium on immigration and then suggested covering up the Statue of Liberty to block its immigrant-friendly message. “We gotta put a bed sheet ― a big bed sheet ― over the Statue of Liberty,” he told journalist Pablo Manríquez. “She’s gotta go to sleep for a while ’cuz we’re not letting anybody in anymore.”
Supreme Court Ruling Sparks Proposal
Nehls’ proposal came after the Supreme Court upheld birthright citizenship, the constitutional guarantee that children born in the United States are automatically citizens. The ruling effectively blocked an executive order issued by President Donald Trump that sought to end this practice. Nehls, a staunch Trump ally who wore a necktie featuring the president’s face to the State of the Union speech earlier this year, appeared to offer a more extreme alternative to that executive order.
His proposal did not stop with a sheet over the Statue of Liberty’s head. “Instead of having a torch, maybe it needs a stop sign,” he suggested, miming the statue’s torch-hoisting arm.
Widespread Criticism on Social Media
Critics on X (formerly Twitter) reacted with disbelief and condemnation. Eric Michael Garcia quipped, “Come again?” Fred Wellman said, “The level of racism and bigotry this pathetic small man spits out daily could fill an algae filled pool.” Another user compared the bedsheet suggestion to a Ku Klux Klan hood, asking, “Maybe cut out eye holes and burn a cross in front of it too while your at it.” Norman Ornstein simply called it “What a disgrace.” Others mocked the idea, with one user asking, “A big bedsheet with holes cut out for the eyes and a pointy hat?” and another suggesting, “Maybe a pillow over her face too.” Ron Marz pleaded, “Please, please stop electing absolute morons.”
Context and Implications
The Statue of Liberty, a symbol of immigration and freedom, bears Emma Lazarus’s poem “The New Colossus,” which includes the famous lines: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” Nehls’ proposal to cover the statue and replace its torch with a stop sign represents a dramatic departure from this welcoming message. The Supreme Court’s birthright citizenship ruling reaffirms the 14th Amendment, which grants citizenship to anyone born on U.S. soil, a principle that has been upheld for over a century. Nehls’ 10-year moratorium proposal, while not formal legislation, highlights ongoing debates over immigration policy in the United States.
