Never Forget

Give the Statue of Liberty Back to France

Published: May 15, 2026 • 2 min read

The Statue of Liberty (Liberty Enlightening the World) was created as a gift from the people of France to the United States to commemorate the U.S. Centennial (1886), celebrate the alliance and shared values between the two nations, and symbolize liberty—including the end of slavery.

Over time, it also became a powerful emblem of welcome to immigrants arriving in America. The main inscription on the statue is a famous poem written by Emma Lazarus, called “The New Colossus.” It is essentially a welcoming message to immigrants arriving in the United States, emphasizing hope, refuge, and freedom.

The most quoted lines are engraved on a bronze plaque inside the pedestal, and they read:

“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!”

In 2025, French politician Raphaël Glucksmann suggested that the United States should consider returning the Statue of Liberty to France as America is no longer living up to the values the statue represents. And he is right.

I am ashamed to say that the United States no longer deserves to have this monumental icon of freedom. After deporting 500,000 people violently from our shores, this grand old lady needs to be retired.

I was taught that this statue, and what she represented—welcoming of people seeking freedom to our country—was an essential core belief of American values. I was also taught that America was to be a light to the world, and stand as an example of freedom and equality to it.

If these American ideals are not dead, they are on life support.

But I was instructed these grand ideals were not the only reason for welcoming immigrants to our country. The United States was to become, and stay, a country of the best and brightest of the world. We would lead the world in everything, from innovation to quality of life, to make it THE best country on earth. I think we have missed the mark.

So have these goals and ideals changed? Or have they just been overcome by greed? Whatever the reason, Americans need to take a long, hard look at themselves and their beliefs. We can't claim to be patriots while rejecting the values on which the United States was founded.