WASHINGTON (CNN)

Ben Carson appeared to liken slaves to immigrants who choose to come to the United States while addressing employees at the Department of Housing and Urban Development Monday.

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.

Here is the full speech:

"Go to Ellis Island one of these days and go through that museum on Ellis Island and look at all the pictures of those people who are hanging up there. From every part of the world. Many of them carrying all their earthly belongings in their two hands. Not knowing what this country held for them. Look at the determination in their eyes. People who work 6 or 7 days a week. 10, 12, 16 hours a day. No such thing as a minimum wage. They work not for themselves but for their sons and daughters, grandsons and granddaughters so they might have an opportunity in this land. That's what America is about. A land of dreams and opportunities. There were other immigrants who came here in the bottom of slave ships. Worked even harder and even harder for less. But they too had a dream that one day their sons, daughter, grandchildren might pursue prosperity and happiness in this land. 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. This is our opportunity to enhance their dream."

Earlier in the remarks, Carson said: "That's what America is about, a land of dreams and opportunity."

HUD spokesman Brian Sullivan attempted to clarify Carson's statement, saying, "Nobody here believes he was equating voluntary immigration with involuntary servitude."

Critics quickly decried the comment.

"Ben Carson is also the guy who once compared Obamacare to slavery," tweeted Keith Boykin, a CNN political contributor. "I'm starting to think he may not understand the word 'slavery.'"

The NAACP declined to comment, but the group tweeted: "Immigrants?" in response to a story about Carson's comments.

This is not the first time Carson has likened something to slavery.

In 2013, Carson said that Obamacare -- the Obama administration's landmark healthcare law -- was the worst thing "since slavery."

"You know Obamacare is really, I think, the worst thing that has happened in this nation since slavery," Carson said at the Values Voter Summit in Washington. "And it is in a way, it is slavery in a way, because it is making all of us subservient to the government, and it was never about health care. It was about control."

Carson also compared abortion to slavery in an interview with NBC during his 2016 presidential run.

"During slavery -- and I know that's one of those words you're not supposed to say, but I'm saying it -- during slavery, a lot of the slave owners thought that they had the right to do whatever they wanted to the slave," Carson said in October 2015. "What if the abolitionists had said, 'I don't believe in slavery, I think it's wrong, but you guys do whatever you want to do?"

Later on Monday, Carson posted on his Facebook page in an effort to clarify his remarks.

"Im proud of the courage and perseverance of Black Americans and their incomprehensible struggle from slavery to freedom. Im proud that our ancestors overcame the evil and repression that we know as slavery. The slave narrative and immigrant narrative are two entirely different experiences. Slaves were ripped from their families and their homes and forced against their will after being sold into slavery by slave traders. The Immigrants made the choice to come to America. They saw this country as a land of opportunity. In contrast, slaves were forced here against their will and lost all their opportunities. We continue to live with that legacy. The two experiences should never be intertwined, nor forgotten, as we demand the necessary progress towards an America that's inclusive and provides access to equal opportunity for all. We should revel in the fact that although we got here through different routes, we have many things in common now that should unite us in our mission to have a land where there is liberty and justice for all."

Read this article:

Carson receives backlash after appearing to compare slaves to immigrants - WCVB Boston