Tired, Poor, Huddled, Refuse, And Homeless

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-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!--Emma Lazarus, @ the foot of the Statue of Liberty

Many enjoy hailing the earlier days of this country and yet fail to recognize its failings to live up to its spoken vision. What do such words mean in light of the present issues with immigration, gender struggles, and the poor, disenfranchised, outcast—basically the "huddled masses"?