Mural in France Depicts Statue of Liberty Covering Her Eyes in Critique of Trump

A striking mural in France showing the Statue of Liberty covering her eyes has gone viral, amassing millions of views online for its pointed critique of U.S. President Donald Trump’s immigration and deportation policies.

Dutch artist Judith de Leeuw described her massive artwork in Roubaix—a city in northern France with a large immigrant community—as "a silent reminder of what freedom should be."

"Freedom feels out of reach" for migrants and "those pushed to the margins, silenced, or made invisible," said de Leeuw, who is based in Amsterdam.

"I painted the statue covering her eyes because she can’t bear the weight of what’s happening in the world. What was once a shining symbol of freedom now carries the sorrow of lost meaning," she wrote in a July 4 Facebook post, as Americans celebrated Independence Day.

Her depiction of the Statue of Liberty—a gift from France in the late 19th century—has drawn sharp reactions.

Republican Congressman Tim Burchett of Tennessee lashed out on X, writing that the mural "disgusts me" and referencing an uncle who died fighting in France during World War II.

In an interview with The Associated Press, de Leeuw remained unapologetic.

"I’m not offended by being hated by Donald Trump’s movement. I don’t regret it. I’m doing the right thing," she said.

The city of Roubaix has defended the artwork. Frédéric Lefebvre, the mayor’s cultural affairs director, told France3 that it carries "a very strong and powerful political message."

Since returning to the White House amid anti-immigrant sentiment, Trump has pursued an unprecedented expansion of executive power, clashing with federal judges attempting to block his policies. Deportations to remote and unrelated destinations—such as South Sudan and Eswatini—have drawn widespread criticism.

Immigration remains one of Trump’s strongest issues in U.S. polls.

The Roubaix mural is part of a city-backed urban street art festival. Once a thriving textile hub, Roubaix is now one of France’s poorest cities, its economy devastated in the 1970s by industrial decline after decades of attracting migrant workers from across Europe and North Africa.