"President Obama wants to take everyone away that doesn't have papers."
May 21 2010 by Niall J Rice
Michelle Obama talking to the children
In what was supposed to be a photo opportunity to highlight Michelle Obama’s healthy children campaign, the issue of illegal immigration in the US was again to bear its corollary.
The president of Mexico, Felipe Calderón, had been in Washington with his wife to meet with the Obama’s, where amongst other issues discussed both highlighted the new immigration law in Arizona as something they would be working to redress.
The incident in question, taken in context to the hard-line both presidents had adopted to the subject, has however been questioned as to its authenticity.
The visit to the New Hampshire estates elementary school, just outside of Washington, had seen the first lady of Mexico, Margarita Zavala, and Michelle Obama happily posing with children as they talked about healthy food contributing to the children’s growth and ‘healthy brains.’
In what was an ‘unscripted’ Q and A with the children, just after lunch, the unnamed child told Mrs Obama that her “…mom says that Barack Obama wants to take away everyone that doesn’t have papers.”
When placated by the first lady that this was “…something we have to work on, to make sure people can be here with the right sort of papers.”
The child replied that “My mom doesn’t have papers.”
The headteacher at the school, Jane Litchko, in which 65% of students speak another language to English, said that the school does not investigate families as to their US immigration status, nor would this be happening on this occasion.
US immigration officials also confirmed that no action would be taken to identify the family in light of the revelations.
In US law any child born in the US, no matter their parents status, automatically gain US citizenship.
Immediately after the school visit political blogs were awash with theories as to the timing of the question so close to the two leader’s denouncement of the Arizona law.
Rush Limbaugh, claimed that the impromptu question had not gone to plan as the girl was “…clearly supposed to say Arizona and not President Obama.” “I don't think there's any doubt it was a set-up question.” He said.
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