Frankly, Tim, this is one of my all time favorite photographs. What a fantastic juxtaposition. By the way, this is the scariest version of Lady Liberty I've ever seen, and it matches perfectly your foreground symbols.
I'm not sure I saw this sign near Liberty. I was focusing on the Eye Street sign which, in my line of vision was blocking Liberty's EYES. Your concept is more realistic I think, and timely.
I see more than the immigration debate here. It goes beyond that for me. Your depiction of the elegant statue is symbolically diminished by its placement on the side of a barren building. It implies that those who do manage to emigrate to America may not, in the end, find its "streets to be lined with gold." I used the same subject, along with a few birds, to create a quite different juxtaposition of symbols athttp://www.pbase.com/pnd1/image/75092597 . You and I had differing interpretations of that picture as well. All of which goes to say that this symbolic subject matter offered us a wonderful range of ideas to explore and express.