"Where do they find these people to elect?": Maxwell Frost sparks outrage over the resolution to remove the Statue of Liberty 

On January 18, 2024, U.S. Representative Maxwell Frost made headlines after he suggested that the Statue of Liberty should be removed. The first-term Democratic congressman proposed this at the House Oversight and Accountability Committee hearing to mock the Republicans who support the Secure the Border Act (also called H.R.2. Bill).

“I’ve taken the liberty of drafting it [the bill] for you. It removes the Statue of Liberty, our largest symbol that tells people to come here. This is who you are, removing the fabric of America.” Maxwell Frost noted.

He explained how the H.R.2. Bill would restrict asylum and make up stricter policies and surveillance on “regional migration and undocumented immigrants,” as reported by the Hill. He also accused Republicans of inciting hatred about immigrants rather than finding suitable solutions to “fix the immigration system.”

As soon as his resolution went viral, netizens put him under fire. In this regard, an X user commented under @CitizenFreePress’ tweet on the same, expressing doubt over Maxwell Frost’s expertise to become a congressman.

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“Why do we keep sending idiots to Congress?!?!”: Maxwell Frost faces online backlash for his Statue of Liberty removal proposal

On Wednesday, during one of the House of Representatives hearings of the U.S. Congress, Florida congressman Maxwell Frost told the Republicans, especially Marjorie Taylor Greene (Representative of Georgia), that if they wanted to secure the southern (US-Mexican) borders and control the incoming immigrants, then they might as well remove the Statue of Liberty.

“To my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, let’s be honest with immigrants who deserve better than what you’re offering them. 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.” He mentioned.

He held a piece of paper saying he took the liberty to draft the bill regarding removing the Statue of Liberty and asked “which Republican, who supports and voted for H.R.2., will introduce” it.

“If you’re gonna support H.R.2 and these bigoted measures, the least you can do is not be a damn liar.” Frost stated.

During his fiery speech, Frost even read part of the poem The New Colossus, which is inscribed on the lower level of the Statue of Liberty and meant as a message to immigrants arriving at Ellis Island, New York, in the 19th century, as per Hill.

While Maxwell Frost may have planned to blast Republicans and their favoring of the Secure the Border Act, it backfired, and he faced severe online backlash for proposing to scrape the Statue of Liberty. Here are some of the criticisms he faced on X (formerly Twitter).

It is noteworthy that the Secure the Border Act of 2023 is a bill making various changes to the existing immigration law in the USA. As per the official website of Congress, it will be “imposing limits on asylum eligibility and requiring employers to use an electronic system to verify the employment eligibility of new employees,” among other things.

The House of Representatives has passed it and is awaiting its approval in the Senate before going on to the White House for the President to enact it into law.

Meanwhile, the Statue of Liberty (founded in October 1886) is a symbol of the abolition of slavery in the USA following the American Civil War and later became the icon of liberty for not only Americans but also immigrants.

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For those uninitiated, Maxwell Frost became the youngest member of Congress at the age of 26 when he was elected as the U.S. Representative for Florida’s 10th congressional district last year.

Previously, the Democrat has worked as the national organizing director of the non-profit March for Our Lives, which advocates for lobbying and political protests and encourages gun control laws, among other things.