Ben Carson Referred To Slaves As Immigrants And Twitter Is Pissed

HUD Sec. Dr. Ben Carson referred to people who crossed the Atlantic in the bottom of a slave ship as "immigrants" https://t.co/bzQZKVB6ks pic.twitter.com/sNGzcwCW4g
— CNN (@CNN) March 6, 2017

Dr. Ben Carson, who was recently confirmed as secretary of Housing and Urban Development, made reference in a speech today to the “immigrants who came here on the bottom of slave ships.” The newly minted HUD secretary was, of course, talking about slaves who did not immigrate to this country but were brought here against their will. Twitter was quick to remind him of this.

Immigrants??? https://t.co/f0RH7iXBrn
— NAACP (@NAACP) March 6, 2017

Actual slave ships vs. Ben Carson's idea of slave ships. pic.twitter.com/cPZwIlHU84
— quinta b. (@quintabrunson) March 7, 2017

OK!! Ben Carson....I can't! Immigrants ? In the bottom of SLAVE SHIPS??!! MUTHAFUKKA PLEASE!!!#dickheadedtom
— Samuel L. Jackson (@SamuelLJackson) March 6, 2017

Ben Carson: a brain surgeon who appears to be brain dead.
— Tre (@Treg2Cole) March 6, 2017

Let Ben Carson tell it Harriet Tubman ran a very succesful travel agency.🤔 #bencarson #alternativehistory
— Candi (@justlikecandi_1) March 6, 2017

Man I'm mad we read Ben Carson's book Gifted Hands and actually celebrated that man during black history month when we were younger smh
— EL FOOSAY (@SheHatesJacoby) March 6, 2017

Many people likened Carson's comments to Get Out, Jordan Peele's new movie in which a black man is hypnotized by a white woman and transported to "the sunken place."

someone got jealous of those gifted hands and now the real ben carson is in the sunken place. https://t.co/bjfUqtWUxi
— Jamelle Bouie (@jbouie) March 6, 2017

ben carson is definitely in the sunken place.
— king crissle (@crissles) March 6, 2017

It kinda sucks that Black folks were kidnapped and brought to the U.S. doesn't it?

Ben Carson: pic.twitter.com/Qlq4Sqi03e
— Raquel Willis (@RaquelWillis_) March 6, 2017

Carson himself later tweeted a link to an interview on the Armstrong Williams Show where he attempted to clarify his statments.

Slaves didn't just give up and die, our ancestors made something of themselves https://t.co/mIYb9oHFn8
— Ben & Candy Carson (@RealBenCarson) March 7, 2017

Ben Carson Referred To Slaves As Immigrants And Twitter Is Pissed

The Housing and Urban Development secretary made reference to “immigrants who came here on the bottom of slave ships.”

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