Former first girl Melania Trump made a cease on the National Archives’ naturalization ceremony to talk on the pathway to citizenship, a course of she mentioned is hard however price it.
Mrs. Trump was in attendance to present a speech to 25 new U.S. residents in Washington Friday.
“For me, reaching the milestone of American citizenship marked the sunrise of certainty,” she mentioned. “At that exact moment, I forever discarded the layer of burden connected with whether I would be able to live in the United States. I hope you’re blanketed with similar feelings of comfort right now.”
She talked about her journey from being born and raised in Slovenia to shifting to New York City in 1996. She labored towards getting a employee visa, a course of she discovered difficult.
“My personal experience of traversing the challenges of the immigration process opened my eyes to the harsh realities these people face, including you, who try to become U.S. citizens,” she mentioned.
Obtaining her citizenship made her really feel a “tremendous sense of pride and belonging,” she mentioned. She grew to become a citizen in 2006.
“The pathway to citizenship is arduous,” she mentioned, including that her journey included a “labyrinth of organizing paperwork.”
She applauded and congratulated the 25 new residents.
“Becoming an American citizen comes with responsibility, it means actively participating in the democratic process and guarding our freedom,” she instructed them. “It also means leading by example and contributing to our society. It is a life-altering experience that takes time, determination and sometimes even tremendous strength.”
