Like Ben Carson, President Obama also compared slaves to 'immigrants'

President Barack Obama once compared slaves to immigrants
(Image credit: Getty Images)

On Monday, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson introduced himself to his new agency, calling America "a land of dreams and opportunity" and raising eyebrows with his follow-up point, that "there were other immigrants who came here in the bottom of slave ships, worked even longer, even harder for less," and like other immigrants "had a dream that one day their sons, daughters, grandsons, granddaughters, great-grandsons, great-granddaughters might pursue prosperity and happiness in this land."

Carson, the only black member of Trump's Cabinet, clarified his point on Facebook Monday night, noting that "the slave narrative and immigrant narrative are two entirely different experiences," and "the two experiences should never be intertwined." He also went on SiriusXM's Urban View, telling host Armstrong Williams that a person "can be an involuntary immigrant," that "slaves came here as involuntary immigrants," and that "people need to actually look up the word 'immigrant.'" That did not stop the mockery of Carson's original speech — on Tuesday's Daily Show, for example, Trevor Noah took Carson up on his invitation to look up "immigrant":

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.