Feature

Michelle Obama and a child's question

At a photo op, a second grade girl surprises the First Lady by worrying aloud that her undocumented immigrant mother will be "taken away" from her

A visit by Michelle Obama and Mexico's First Lady to a Silver Spring, Maryland, elementary school went off-script Wednesday when a second grader asked about the fate of her undocumented mother. During a Q-and-A session the girl raised her hand, and shyly said, "My mom ... she says that Barack Obama is taking everybody away that doesn't have papers" — a seeming reference to Arizona's tough new immigration law. The First Lady replied that immigration policy is "something that we have to work on." The girl then said, "But my mom doesn't have any ..." What did commentators make of the moment? "This heartbreaking exchange says more about the current state of the immigration debate than "any speech by Barack Obama," says Frank Sharry of America's Voice, an immigration reform advocacy group. "Would it be too cynical to suggest that this question was a plant?" wonders Steve Gilbert at Sweetness & Light. The whole incident just seems like a slightly-too-perfect opportunity for liberals to bash the Arizona law. See the video below:

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