First Lady Michelle Obama faced some tough questions from a 2nd grade class in Maryland yesterday when a little girl accused the president of "taking everybody away that doesn't have papers." Michelle Obama attempted to smooth things over, and said, "That's something that we have to work on, right? To make sure that people can be here with the right kind of papers." But the child wouldn't let her get off that easily, promptly responding, "but my mom doesn't have papers." Awkward.
The First Lady once again tried to change the subject, telling the girl, "well, we have to work on that. We have to fix that. And everybody's got to work together in Congress to make sure that that happens," but by that point it was too late. According to the Washington Post, news networks and the equally-relevant Twitter were afire with questions about what would happen to the little girl's mother as a result of her tattling. The exchange also came at a particularly sensitive time, right before the state dinner with the Mexican president, and amidst the ongoing debate over Arizona's immigration laws. Frank Sharry told USA Today that he believed the little girl had a point. "The Obama administration is on track this year to exceed the deportation levels of the Bush administration."
However, even the biggest supporters of harsh immigration laws don't believe the girl's mother should face any punishment. Rep. Steve King said in an interview, "I think it's hard to start an investigation on a statement from a 7-year-old," and the Department of Homeland Security said they want to focus on "convicted criminal aliens who pose a threat to our communities." The school's principal, Jane Litchko, said the 7-year-olds haven't learned about immigration policy yet, but called the girl's mother to let her know what happened.
Rush Limbaugh chimed in on the situation as well, believing the whole conversation was set up by the White House and then botched by the girl. He said on his show, "This second-grader was supposed to say 'Arizona,' not 'Obama.' I don't think there's any doubt it was a setup question."
