USA Today Network Mitch Albom, Detroit Free Press Published 6:03 a.m. ET Feb. 5, 2017 | Updated 7:20 p.m. ET Feb. 5, 2017

Sergeant Louie Tartaglia is a police officer in Arizona's Cochise County -- a US district that shares 85 miles of border with Mexico. Tartaglia, whose team of local officers work conjunctively with US Border Patrol, welcomes President Trump's promises to increase border security but is unsure what "building a wall" will actually entail. Video provided by AFP Newslook

The Statue of Liberty(Photo: Spencer Platt, Getty Images)

I went to visit the Statue of Liberty. I missed the last boat back. As I gazed at the American shoreline, I heard a voice.

So, what do you think?

I turned. Lady Liberty was talking to me.

I think Im hallucinating, I said.

Dont be shy. I dont often get to speak. Its hard to talk with people crawling up your robe.

Well ... I said. Whats on your mind?

What do you think? About the symbol?

You? I think youre amazing. Inspiring. Incred--

Not me. Thenewsymbol. The Wall.

Oh.

Lady Liberty sighed. You know, for more than a century, Ive been the image of our nations borders. You thought of coming here? You thought of me.

But now? Now when people around the world think of America, theyre going to picture a wall a really long, ugly wall.

She shook her crown. It wont even be green.

No, no, I insisted. Were much more than that. Were a huge nation. Rich. Diverse.

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So is China, she said. But whats the first structure you think of with that country?

She had me there.

Whats the purpose of this wall? she asked.

To keep people out.

Hmm. She pointed her torch down to her base.

See those?

Your really big feet?

No. The broken chains Im stepping out of. They stand for freedom from oppression. Arent people coming here seeking freedom from oppression?

Some, I said. Some just want jobs.

So theyre poor?

Many of them, yes.

See that? She pointed down with her tablet.

Your toenails?

Lower. On the base. The sonnet. Read it.

Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tostto me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!

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Pretty good, huh? she said.

Pretty good, I replied.

Ill bet The Wall doesnt have a golden door.

She had me there.

Its complicated, I tried to explain. Back when you were built, people came to follow their dreams.

Arent todays immigrants doing that?

But theyre not going through proper channels.

How long do proper channels take?

Depends on the country. In some cases, 20 years.

Hmm. She looked off to Ellis Island. Did your family come through there?

Yes. Early last century.

Did they have to wait 20 years?

No.

Maybe the laws need more fixing than the borders.

She stared at me. I think she raised an eyebrow.

Some illegal immigrants commit crimes, I said.

More than citizens commit crimes?

Actually, I mumbled, most data showits less.

Hmm, she said. She had a way of saying that.

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And when these illegals come, do they work?

Yes. They work so cheap. They take our jobs.

Whos hiring them?

Factories. Small business. Households.

Are you punishing the employers? Are you building a wall around the factories?

Dont be silly, I said.

Hmm, she said.

She adjusted her crown, with its seven spikes to symbolize seven seas and continents. Do you know my original name? It was Liberty Enlightening the World. "

She looked south. Will they say that about a wall?

The big fight now is whos gonna pay for it.

I was paid for by foreigners.

Hey. Thats exactly what our president wants!

I was a gift.

Oh, yeah.

The sun began to rise. Well, bon voyage, Lady Liberty said, lifting her arm. I must get back to work.

Work? I said. But youre a statue.

No, she said, sternly, Im a symbol. I stand for something. And you know what? Standing for something, every day and night, is really hard work.

Hmm, I said. And I thought I saw her smile.

Mitch Albom is a columnist for theDetroit Free Press, where this column first appeared. Follow him on Twitter@MitchAlbom.

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Lady Liberty has her say about The Wall: Mitch Albom - USA Today - USA TODAY