Have you ever been so focused on “owning” someone you end up saying something so dumb you end up owning yourself?
That’s exactly what happened yesterday for freshman Democrat Rep. Maxwell Frost of Florida.
In a video shared by RNC Research on X (formerly Twitter), Frost, attempting to dunk on Republicans for their support of a new bill, H.R.2, or, the Secure the Border Act, introduced a fake bill that would remove the Statue of Liberty if H.R.2 passed.
Freshman Democrat Rep. Max Frost: Republicans might as well take down the Statue of Liberty if they’re going to demand a secure border! 🤔 pic.twitter.com/6yAHno9n7l
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) January 17, 2024
The bill, which, according to Fox News is getting decent bipartisan support, “would restrict the asylum process for people crossing the border and require resumed construction on the border wall.”
In Frost’s own words “[don’t] welcome immigrants if you plan to reject them. If you keep pushing your bigoted H.R. 2 bill, then also pass this bill … It removes the Statue of Liberty, our largest symbol that tells people to come here.”
He then continued castigating his “colleagues from across the aisle” for committing the unforgivable sin of preventing criminals from crossing the border undetected: “This is who you are, removing the fabric of America. So, I want to know which Republican, who supports and voted for H.R.2, will introduce this bill. If you’re gonna support H.R.2 and these bigoted measures, the least you can do is not be a d**n liar.”
Frost seemed quite impressed with his brilliant dunk, but the good folks on X immediately saw through his terrible argument and started justifiably clowning on him.
Is illegal immigration the biggest issue facing America at the moment?
Even the Brits, like Telegraph contributor Nile Gardiner got in the act, calling Frost’s mock bill “ridiculous,” while others, such as Substack writer Jim Treacher, pointed out that “[none] of the other mayors crying about illegal immigration are Republicans.”
This is ridiculous. https://t.co/ZfTX3uyqhn
— Nile Gardiner (@NileGardiner) January 17, 2024
Eric Adams isn’t a Republican. Brandon Johnson isn’t a Republican. None of the other mayors crying about immigrants are Republicans. https://t.co/reEKJDDkoE
— jimtreacher.substack.com (@jtLOL) January 17, 2024
Not only is Frost’s argument ridiculous on its surface, but he completely and utterly misunderstands the purpose and symbolism of the Statue of Liberty.
The Statue of Liberty has nothing to do with our current border crisis and the plague of illegal immigration. Few of the folks pouring over the southern border probably have Lady Liberty foremost in their minds, and if they’re hopping the border under the cloak of darkness, they probably not too concerned with entering the country the correct way.
As the National Park Service helpfully illuminates for us, the Statue of Liberty is also known as the “Immigrant’s Statue.”
The statue was a gift to the United States from the people of France, “commemorating the alliance of France and the United States during the American Revolution.”
Since its dedication in 1886, to the shuttering of Ellis Island in 1924, the statue was the first thing immigrants saw when first entering the United States.
Lady Liberty was a symbol of welcome for these immigrants, who frequently entered the country in dire poverty, often ignorant of the language and knowing little about the U.S. except as the “land of opportunity.”
According to the National Park Services, “The Statue of Liberty was a reassuring sign that they had arrived in the land of their dreams.”
Considering these 14 million immigrants were mostly going first through Ellis Island, its means they were coming into the country legally, with all the paperwork and security screening that implies.
Conflating these topics is not only stupid, but dishonest. Not only was the Statue of Liberty a stone’s throw from the most famous immigration inspection and processing station in American history, but the United States during this time was not nearly as populated as it is now.
At this time in American history, we needed immigration.
So, contrary to Frost’s shallow showmanship, the GOP has plenty of legitimate reasons to be concerned about illegal immigration.
Proposing a bill to remove the Statue of Liberty, real or not, is not only a bad look for Frost, but also just plain dumb.
It’s not nearly the own Frost thinks it is — unless, of course, he means a self-own.
