The National Archives where he talked about the history of u. S. Immigration and the current policy. All rise all those having business before the honorable chief judge of the United StatesDistrict Court in and for the District Of Columbia now holding these naturalization ceremonies give their attention. God save the United States of america and this honorable court. Please remain standing for the presentation of the colors, the playing of the national anthem, and the retirement of the colors. Please be seated and come to order. Court is now in session. Please welcome the honorable richard w. Roberts, chief judge, u. S. District of columbia. Good morning. Good morning. Good morning. All right. Mr. President , archivist ferriero, deputy secretary mayorkas, director rodriguez, our brilliant students from the Stewart Hobson middle school in capitol hill center, guests and candidates, i congratulate you as you are about to attain your new United States citizenship. It is always a joyful moment for me to welcome new members, citizens, to our kcountry. Todays ceremony occurs just a few weeks after our thanksgiving celebration. Although in 1619, the settlers purchased their first human cargo in virginia to work plantations, thanksgiving traditionally celebrates the time after the year 1620 when in massachusetts the people indigenous to this land welcomed with open arms and gifts the foreign pilgrims from across the ocean who practiced very different religions and customs. Having this welcoming naturalization ceremony now is perhaps a timely and pointed reminder in todays climate. Inscribed on the statue of liberty are the words that have beckoned immigrants for decades. Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. Of course over the years this nation has also welcomed the energetic, the rich, and the aristocrats. But one quality we are quite proud as a society is that we measure our worth as a people not by what we own but rather by how we treat the least among us. And that is because the compassion that motivates the words inscribed on the statue of liberty is a mark of our highest aspiration. And it makes sense. Because in other lands where a mans class or cast or complexion might mark him as despised. Here, it may be a mark of someones rich and proud ancestry like those original americans who civilized this land long before europe ever discovered that it was here. Or the people who through labor mighty manufacturing and enterprise were built. Or the descendents of gallant patriots who gave their lives to break colonial bonds freedom to flourish and harbor, others seeking it. You candidates will now have a beginning to build legacies such as these for yourselves as United States citizens. Remember those legacies as you see the glorious mosaic of faces that you encounter here. We welcome to continuing our evolution as people and wish you the best of luck as you bestow he the same compassion that this country has now bestowed upon millions before you. Thank you very much. [ applause ] it is now my pleasure to recognize ms. Cheryl horn, deputy clerk for the District Of Columbia to call the roll. Ms. Horn. Thank you, your honor. May it please the court stand and answer here or present and remain standing. Philbert florent congo. Here. Zachary abraham barack. Here. Antonio lorenzo honduras. Here. Bertcan gadaya, ethiopia. Felicia sanchez, philippines. Margaret helen jenkins, canada. Andreas akan, germany. Which wiilliam phambo, cameroon. Alex nikolof, bulgaria. Elijah knot, jamaica. Evon dejesus, brazil. Here. Frederick, germ mi. Jose rivas gonzalez, venezuela. Lorella, luciana pele, peru. Tim ya ma, hong kong. Patricia desilva, brazil. Jason cordoba, colombia. John allen gifford, canada. And mugala gasa, uganda. Tabitha francis, st. Lucia. Caesar oban mokatu, gabon. Here. Harrison omar, el salvador. Julia obragia, romania. Mikaila obragia, romania. Michael joseph peter hennessey, ireland. Colbert son, czech republic. Maha abdullah, france. And charmain malcolm, jamaica. Your honor, there are 31 applicants for naturalization, and each of the applicants have been examined by the United States citizenship and immigration service. And the government has completed its investigation in each case. It has been determined that each applicant is eligible for naturalization at this time. And i move that upon taking the oath of allegiance to the United States of america each applicant present having answered to his or her name, be granted citizens as the United States of america. Ms. Horn, it would be my pleasure and delight to grant your motion. Your motion is granted. New members of the United States citizenry, please raise your right hand and repeat after me. I hereby declare on oath that i absolutely and entirely renounce and adjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, state or sovereignty of whom or which i have heretofore been a subject or citizen. That i will support and defend constitution and the laws of the United States of america. Against all enemies foreign and domestic. That i will bear true faith and allegiance to the same. That i will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law, that i will perform noncombatant service in the armed forces of the United States when required by the law. That i will perform work of National Importance under civilian direction when required by the law. And that i take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion. Let me be the first to congratulate all of you as new United States citizens. [ applause ] ladies and gentlemen, please welcome director u. S. Cis, leon rodriguez. Please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance to the flag. I pledge allegiance all rise all rise. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of america and to the republic for which it stands one nation under god indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Please be seated. Please be seated. The civic Renewal Network is an alliance of 26 organizations dedicated to raising the visibility of Civics Education and providing free high Quality Resources for teachers and classes. Partner organizations include the National Archives and records administration, Public Policy center, library of congress, the National Constitution center, National History day, nih enticement, rock the vote, and the u. S. Courts. We welcome students from the District Of Columbia to read the preamble. We, the people of the United States, in order to form a more Perfect Union establish justice, ensure the tranquility provide for common defense, promote the general welfare. Ensure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity do ordain and establish this constitution for the United States of america. [ applause ] thank you so the civic Renewal Network and lets give another round of applause to these students. [ applause ] please welcome to the stage of archivist of the United States, david s. Ferrierferriero. [ applause ] i want to add my thanks to the Stewart Hobson middle school for that wonderful rendition of the preamble. Thank you very much. Good morning and welcome to the rotunda of the National Archives. First and foremost, congratulations to our 31 new citizens of the United States. Its a great honor to have the president of the United States here with us today to celebrate your american citizenship. Thank you to deputy secretary mayorkas, judge roberts and director rodriguez for joining us. The National Archives is proud to host the naturalization ceremony with the president , the department of homeland security, the United States citizenship and Immigration Services in the United StatesDistrict Court from the District Of Columbia. I can think of no better place than in front of these documents. Behind me is the constitution. It contains three important words, we, the people. That brief phrase captures the essence of our democracy. To my right is the declaration of independence. They risk ed their lives and al they owned in signing it. We have them to thank for our freedoms today. And to my left is the bill of rights, the first ten amendments to the constitution. The amendments to the constitution with added exactly 224 years ago today. These amendments are the basic personal rights and freedoms guaranteed to every american citizen which you will exercise every day. These documents, these charters of freedom, make up our foundation as u. S. Citizens. I am the grandson of italian immigrants and greatgrandson of irish immigrants. Using passenger lists here at the National Archives, i discovered that my grandfather at age 15 arrived in boston from naples aboard the ship commonwealth in 1903. My grandmother, also from naples arrived in march 1909 on the romantic. Many americans have stories like mine. Now you are newly naturalized citizens. Youll have your own journey to share. Here at the National Archives, we have over 12 billion pages of records. Becoming american citizens now makes you a part of the National Archives. Your naturalization records will be part of our holdings. And some day your descendants will search our records to discover your history. Here, history comes to life. We house the tangible reminders of where we have been, how far we have come, and what is possible for each and every american. Each record, large and small, is a representation air greater story, many of which are still being told today in daily life. The National Archives tells everyones story. And now your story. Congratulations. [ applause ] thank you, mr. Ferriero. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome deputy secretary of the department of homeland security, alejandro mayorkas. Mr. President , my fellow americans, congratulations. This is a special day in your lives. And it is an equally special day in the life of our nation. Your identity will from this day forward be shaped by the United States citizenship you have now earned. Our nations future in turn shines with the promise of your contributions. In 1973, i became a naturalized citizen, just as you have become one today. My parents, my sister and i arrived in this country in 1960 as refugees from cuba. While my parents always had faith in their children, i dont think they could have imagined that years later, their son would be standing beside the president of the United States, addressing all of you in this most beautiful ceremony. But that is the promise of america. As president obama said, now as a nation, we dont promise equal outcomes, but we were founded on the idea everybody should have an equal opportunity to succeed, no matter who you are, what you look like, where you come from, you can make it. Thats an essential promise of america. Where you start should not determine where you end up. Ladies and gentlemen, the future of our nation is yours. Not to inherit, but to create. As a parent of beautiful daughters, yes, my daughters look like their mother [ laughter ] i try to bring life to the hope that our daughters will one day live in a world better than the one that preceded them. More than six years ago, we moved our children criticizes country here to washington, d. C. , because we believed in the president s vision for what that better world could be and how america could lead it. We feel that more strongly today than we did those years ago. I have been and remain privileged to contribute in some small way to the fulfillment of our president s vision for the promise of america. His vision champions our proud tradition and our everlasting identity as a nation of immigrants. I hope that you will embrace the citizenship you have earned, its rights and its responsibilities, and contribute to the future of our nation as well. Congratulations and thank you. [ applause ] thank you, mr. Mayorkas. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the president of the United States, barack obama. [ applause ] thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you. Please have a seat. Thank you. Good morning, everybody. Good morning. Thank you, deputy secretary mayorkas, judge roberts, director rodriguez, thank you to our archivist, david ferriero, and everyone at the National Archives for hosting us here today in this spectacular setting, and to my fellow americans, our newest americans, im so excited. You are men and women from more than 25 countries. From brazil to uganda, from iraq to the philippines. You may come from teeming cities or rural villages. You dont look alike. You dont worship the same way. But here, surrounded by the very documents whose values bind us together as one people, youve raised your hand and sworn a sacred oath. Im proud to be among the first to greet you as my fellow americans. What a remarkable journey all of you have made. And as of today, your story is forever woven into the larger story of this nation. In the brief time that we have together, i want to share that story with you. Because even as youve put in the work required to become a citizen, you still have a demanding and rewarding task ahead of you, and that is the hard work of active citizenship. You have rights and you have responsibilities. And now you have to help us write the next great chapter in americas story. Just about every nation in the world to some extent admits immigrants. But theres something unique about america. We dont simply welcome new immigrants. We dont simply welcome new arrivals. We are born of immigrants. That is who we are. Immigration is our origin story. And for more than two centuries, its remained at the core of our national character. Its our oldest tradition. Its who we are. Its part of what makes us exceptional. After all, unless your familiar is native american, one of the first americans, our families, all of our families come from someplace else. The first refugees were the pilgrims themselves, fleeing religious persecution, crossing the stormy atlantic to reach a new world where they might leave new world where they might live and pray freely. Eight signers of the declaration of independence were immigrants. And in those first decades after independence, english, germans, and scottish immigrants came over, huddled on creaky ships, seeking what thomas payne called asylum for the persecuted lovers of civil and religious liberty. Down through the decades, Irish Catholics fleeing hunger, italians fleeing poverty, filled up our cities, rolled up their sleeves, built america. Chinese laborers jammed in steerage under the decks of steamships, making their way to california to build the Central Pacific railroad that would transform the west and our nation. Wave after wave of men, women, and children from the middle east and the mediterranean, from asia and africa, poured into ellis island or angel island, their trunks bursting with their most cherished possessions. Maybe a photograph of the family they left behind, a family bible or torah or koran. A bag in one hand, maybe a child in the other, standing for hours in long lines. New york and cities across america were transformed into a sort of Global Fashion show. You had dutch lace caps and north african fezzes, stodgy tweed suits, colorful caribbean dresses. Perhaps like some of you, these new arrivals might have had some moments of doubt, wondering if they had made a mistake in leaving everything and everyone they never knew behind. Life in america was not always easy. It wasnt always easy for new immigrants. Certainly it wasnt easy for those of African Heritage who had not come here voluntarily, and yet in their own way were immigrants themselves. There was discrimination and hardship and poverty. But like you, they no doubt found inspiration in all those who had come before them. And they were able to muster faith that here in america, they might build a better life and give their children something more. Just as so many have come here in search of a dream, others sought shelter from nightmares. Survivors of the holocaust, soviet refuseniks, refugees from vietnam, laos, cambodia. Iraqis and afghans fleeing war, mexicans, cubans, leaving behind deadly revolutions. Central american teenagers running from gang violence. The lost boys of sudan escaping civil war. People from the republic of the congo, who was granted asylum when his family was threatened by violence. Today here as a proud american. We can never say it often or loudly enough. Immigrants and refugees revitalize and renew america. Immigrants like you are more likely to start your own business. Many of the fortune 500 companies in this country were founded by immigrants or their children. Many of the Tech Startups in Silicon Valley have at least one immigrant founder. Immigrants are the teachers who inspire our children and theyre the doctors who keep us healthy. Theyre the engineers who design our sky lines and the artists and the entertainers who touch our hearts. Immigrants are soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, coast guards who protect us, often risking their lives former that isnt even their own yet. As an iraqi, mohammed al nayim was the target of Death Threats for working with american forces. He stood by his american comrades and came to the u. S. As a refugee. And today we stand by him and we are proud to welcome mohammed as a citizen of the country that he already helped to defend. We celebrate this history, this heritage, as an immigrant nation. And we should be Strong Enough to acknowledge, as painful as it may be, that we havent all day lived up to our ideals. We havent always lived up to these documents. From the start, africans were brought here in chains against their will, and then toiled under the whip. They also built america. A century ago, new york city shops displayed those signs, no irish need apply. Catholics were targeted. Their loyalty questioned. So much so that as recently as the 1950s and 60s, and jfk ran, he had to convince people that his allegiance wasnt primarily to the pope. Chinese immigrants faced persecution and vicious stereotypes and were for a time even banned from entering america. During world war ii, german and italian residents were detained. And in one of the darkest chapters in our history, japanese immigrants and even japanese american citizens were forced from their homes and imprisoned in camps. We succumbed to fear. We betrayed not only our fellow americans but our deepest values. We betrayed these documents. Its happened before. And the biggest irony of course was that those who betrayed these values were themselves the children of immigrants. How quickly we forget. One generation passes, two generation passes, and suddenly we dont remember where we came from. We suggest that somehow there is us and there is them. Not remembering we used to be them. On days like today, we need to resolve never to repeat mistakes like that again. [ applause ] we must resolve to always speak out against hatred and bigotry in all of its forms, whether taunts against the child of an immigrant farm worker, or shopkeeper. We are americans. Standing up for each other is what the values enshrined in the documents in this room compels us to do, especially when its harder. Especially when its not convenient. Thats when it counts. Thats when it matters. Not when things are easy but when things are hard. The truth is, being an american is hard. Being part of a democratic government is hard. Being a citizen is hard. It is a challenge. Its supposed to be. Theres no respite from our ideals. All of us are called to live up to our expectations for ourselves. Not just when its convenient, but when its inconvenient, when its tough, when were afraid. The tension throughout our history between welcoming or rejecting the stranger, its about more than immigration. Its about the meaning of america. What kind of country do we want to be . Its about the capacity of each generation to honor the creed as old as our founding. E pluribus unum. Out of many we are one. Scripture tells us, for we are strangers before you, and sojourners, as were all our fathers. We are strangers before you. And the mexico immigrant today, we see the catholic immigrant of a century ago. In the syrian seeking refuge today, we should see the jewish refugee of world war ii. And these new americans, we see our own american stories. Our parents, our grandparents, our aunts, own uncles, our cousins, who scraped together whatever they had, and their paperwork wasnt always in order, and they set out for a place that was more than just a piece of land, but an idea. America. A place where we can be a part of something bigger. A place where we can contribute our talents and fulfill our ambitions and secure new opportunity for ourselves and for others. A place where we can retain pride in our heritage but where we recognize that we have a common creed. A loyalty to these documents. A loyalty to our democracy. Where we can criticize our government but understand that we love it. Where we agree to live together even when we dont agree with each other. Where we work through the democratic process and not through violence or sectarianism to resolve disputes. Where we live side by side as neighbors. And where our children know themselves to be a part of this nation. No longer strangers. But the bedrock of this nation. The essence of this nation. Thats why today is not the final step in your journey. More than 60 years ago, in a ceremony like this one, senator john f. Kennedy said, no form of government requires more of its citizens than does the american democracy. Our system of selfgovernment depends on ordinary citizens doing the hard, frustrating but always essential work of citizenship. Of being informed. Of understanding that the government isnt some distant thing, but is you. Of speaking out when something is not right. Of helping fellow citizens when they need a hand. Of coming together to shape our countrys course. That word gives purpose to every generation. It belongs to me. It belongs to the judge. It belongs to you. It belongs to you. All of us as citizens. To follow our laws, yes, but also to engage with your communities and to speak up for what you believe in and to vote. To not only exercise the rights that are now yours but to stand up for the rights of others. Birtukan birduya is here from ethiopian. She said the joy of being an american is the joy of freedom and opportunity. Weve been handed a work in progress, one that can evolve for the good of all americans. I couldnt have said it better. That is what makes america great. Not just the words on these founding documents, as precious and valuable as they are, but the progress theyve inspired. Did you ever wonder whether america is big enough to hold multitudes, brave enough to live up to our ideals even in times of trial . Then look to the generations of ordinary citizens who have proven again and again that we are worthy of that. Thats our great inheritance. What ordinary people have done to build this country and make these words live. Its our Generations Task to follow their example in this journey, to keep building an america where no matter who we are or what we look like or who we love or what we believe, we can make of our lives what we will. You will not and should not forget your history and your past. That adds to the richness of american life. But you are now american. Youve got obligations as citizens. And im absolutely confident you will meet them. Youll set a good example for all of us. Because you know how precious this thing is. Its not something to take for granted. Its something to cherish and to fight for. Thank you. And god bless you. And god bless the United States of america. [ applause ] this concludes the ceremony. We are now adjourned. We will have more road to the white house coverage this morning on cspan. Republican president ial candidate Donald Trump Holds a Campaign Rally in hilton head, south carolina. Watch that live at 11 00 a. M. Eastern. This sunday night on q a, Michael Ramirez on his career and book of cartoons. I have this figure thats a con glom rags and a palestinian figure if you notice, he is on a prayer rug. But he has his shoes on. Both these figures are sort of utilizing a false religion for a political purpose. So it just proves that once again i am an equal opportunity offender. Sunday night at 8 00 eastern and pacific on cspans q a. Tonight on American History tv, on cspan3, at 8 00 p. M. Eastern, a debate on who is a better model for republican president s, Calvin Coolidge or ronald reagan. A tribute to former Vice President walter mondale. Later, Harry Trumans decision to drop atomic bombs on japan. As 2015 wraps up, cspan presents congress, year in review, a look back at all the news making issues, debates and hearings that took center stage on capitol hill this year. Join us thursday at 8 00 p. M. Eastern as we ret