Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson made his debut today by referring to slaves as “immigrants” who choose to come to the United States while addressing employees at the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Carson, who was confirmed to lead the department earlier this month, heralded the work ethic of immigrants before implying slaves who came to the United States worked harder than others.
“There were other immigrants who came in the bottom of slave ships, who worked even longer, even harder, for less, but they too had a dream that one day their sons, daughters, grandsons, granddaughters, great grandsons, great granddaughters might pursue prosperity and happiness in this land,” said Carson.
“And do you know of all the nations in the world, this one, the United States of America, is the only one big enough and great enough to allow all those people to realize their dream. And this is our opportunity to enhance that dream,” he added.
The Senate approved Carson, a neurosurgeon with no experience in housing policy, to the job last week. In 2013, Carson said Obamacare was “the worst thing that has happened in this nation since slavery.”
