© 2026 ABC News

The Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect blasted Carson’s statement, calling his words “tragic, shocking, and unacceptable.”

WE CONDEMN REMARKS of #BenCarson today that slaves are \"immigrants.\" @WhiteHouse we say #BlackLivesMatter and so should you. pic.twitter.com/VuclzYh5Rn

— AnneFrankCenter(US) (@AnneFrankCenter) March 6, 2017

The NAACP tweeted “Immigrants???”

Immigrants??? https://t.co/f0RH7iXBrn

— NAACP (@NAACP) March 6, 2017

\"This can't be real,\" said Chelsea Clinton in a tweet. \"Slaves were not & are not immigrants. 2017.\"

This can't be real. Slaves were not & are not immigrants. 2017. https://t.co/8CuUvnR2Mf

— Chelsea Clinton (@ChelseaClinton) March 6, 2017

But a spokesperson for HUD said Carson’s speech was well received by employees. “Nobody in that room believed for a moment that the secretary was confusing voluntary immigration with involuntary servitude. Please,” said a HUD spokesperson.

Carson, during an interview on SiriusXM's the Armstrong Williams Show, defended his statement. \"You can be an involuntary immigrant,\" said Carson.

\"I think people need to actually look up the word ‘immigrant.’ Whether you’re voluntary or involuntary, if you come from outside to the inside, you’re an immigrant. Whether your legal or you’re illegal, you come from outside to the inside, you’re an immigrant. Slaves came here as involuntary immigrants, but they still had the strength to hold on,” said Carson.

But later, in a statement posted to Facebook, Carson went on to clarify his comments. \"I’m proud of the courage and perseverance of Black Americans and their incomprehensible struggle from slavery to freedom. I’m proud that our ancestors overcame the evil and repression that we know as slavery,\" he wrote.

\"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.\"

In his speech, Carson, who was sworn in to HUD last Thursday, described his experience as a neurosurgeon and emphasized helping “the downtrodden and the people in our society to climb that ladder.”

“To me, that’s really what it’s all about. It’s about the American dream. The ability to move up that ladder. The ability to make a difference in the lives of our fellow Americans. Recognizing how much innate potential there is in them.”

Carson said his first priority as new HUD secretary is to go on a nationwide listening tour to hear concerns from the American people.

","canonicalUrl":"https://abcnews.com/Politics/ben-carson-immigrants-arrived-slave-ships-dreamed-happiness/story?id=45948630","legacySlug":"/news/story/ben-carson-immigrants-arrived-slave-ships-dreamed-happiness-45948630","noIndexNoFollow":false},"publishTime":"23:56","publishDate":"03-06-2017","updatedTime":"11:49","updatedDate":"03-07-2017","socialImage":{"alt":"Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson speaks to employees of the agency in Washington, March 6, 2017.","credit":"Joshua Roberts/Reuters","ratio":"16x9","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/Politics/RT-ben-carson-cf-170306_16x9_1600.jpg","width":992,"height":558},"datePublished":"3/6/2017 23:56:00 GMT","video":{"live":false,"id":45948630,"headline":"Ben Carson says 'other immigrants' arrived on slave ships","mediaAssetTitle":"McGraw_CarsonComments_030617","description":"A line in Carson's first speech as HUD secretary receiving backlash. ","duration":"0:49","posterImg":{"url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","width":608,"height":342},"video":{"feed":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2017/03/170307_atm_carson_slaves_immigrants_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8"},"playlist":["132306053","132266872","132055565"]},"relatedItems":[{"contentType":"video","date":"April 23, 2026","headline":"Trump orders Navy to 'shoot and kill' any boat laying mines in Strait of Hormuz","section":"News","slug":"/video/132306053","id":"132306053","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: Trump orders Navy to 'shoot and kill' any boat laying mines in Strait of Hormuz","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: Trump orders Navy to 'shoot and kill' any boat laying mines in Strait of Hormuz","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}},{"contentType":"video","date":"April 22, 2026","headline":"Fallout after Fed nominee grilled on Capitol Hill","section":"News","slug":"/video/132266872","id":"132266872","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: Fallout after Fed nominee grilled on Capitol Hill","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: Fallout after Fed nominee grilled on Capitol Hill","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}},{"contentType":"video","date":"April 15, 2026","headline":"American influencer found dead in Tanzania","section":"News","slug":"/video/132055565","id":"132055565","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: American influencer found dead in Tanzania","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: American influencer found dead in Tanzania","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}}],"relatedContentSection":"news","schemaContent":{"name":"Ben Carson says 'other immigrants' arrived on slave ships","description":"A line in Carson's first speech as HUD secretary receiving backlash. ","duration":"0:49","uploadDate":"03-06-2017","publication":"03-06-2017","images":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","url":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2017/03/170307_atm_carson_slaves_immigrants_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","contentUrl":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2017/03/170307_atm_carson_slaves_immigrants_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","link":"https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/news/story/ben-carson-immigrants-arrived-slave-ships-dreamed-happiness-45948630"}},"playlist":[{"id":"132281378","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132283010","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132273278","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132231169","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132206748","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132200241","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132054443","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132054798","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132033010","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131912713","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131830583","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131834976","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131554765","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131554815","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131543053","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131432442","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131121474","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131247079","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131228784","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131178806","contentType":"story","section":"news"}],"kvps":{"pgtyp":"article","lang":"en","sp":"goodmorningamerica","programmatic":"true","bundleId":"com.abcnews"}},"analytics":{"accountID":"wdgnewwdgnewgmaweb","ns":"gma","pageName":"gma:news:video","pageType":"video","globalSpecVersion":"v1.08","siteDifferentiator":"gma:site","tagID":"g_page01","userABCookie":"0","section":"news","title":"Ben Carson says 'other immigrants' arrived on slave ships","pubTime":"18:56","pubDate":"03-06-2017","modTime":"06:49","modDate":"03-07-2017","taxonomyTags":"none","id":45948630,"editorialOtherSubjects":"","wordCount":"none","columns":"none","authors":"","authorsUnit":"none","authorsBureau":"none","subBrand":"Good Morning America","provider":"Good Morning America","videoName":"Ben Carson says 'other immigrants' arrived on slave ships","mediaAssetTitle":"McGraw_CarsonComments_030617","videoId":45948630,"mediaOnPage":"video","legacySlug":"/news/story/ben-carson-immigrants-arrived-slave-ships-dreamed-happiness-45948630"},"taboola":{}},"request":{"headers":{},"httpVersion":"1.1","method":"GET","url":"/video/45948630","vary":{"host":"www.goodmorningamerica.com","cached":true,"path":"/video/45948630","forwarded-proto":"https","device":"desktop","userab":"0"}},"viewport":{"width":1260,"height":0},"user":{}};