Republican Convention Airs Naturalization Ceremony for 5 New US Citizens

By Dana Cruz First Posted: Aug 26, 2020 02:17 AM EDT

Republicans Hold Virtual 2020 National Convention

(Photo : Courtesy of the Committee on Arrangements for the 2020 Republican National Committee via Getty Images)
U.S. President Donald Trump hosts a naturalization ceremony for new citizens in a pre-recorded video broadcasted during the virtual convention on August 25, 2020.

The Republican Convention aired a surprise naturalization ceremony at the White House on Tuesday evening.

President Donald Trump oversaw the naturalization ceremony. It was the Republican Convention's way of stressing how vital it is to gain legal immigration to the United States.

The five new U.S. citizens granted naturalization during the event were from Bolivia, Lebanon, India, Sudan, and Ghana, said a report from The Hill.

In the event, acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf read the naturalization oath to the new citizens as Trump looked on. After this part of the Republican Convention, Trump took the podium to praise the five people.

"You followed the rules, you obeyed the laws, you learned our history, embraced our values, and proved yourselves to be men and women of the highest integrity," he said.

Trump recognized the hard process that the five people went through and thanked them for being in the event.

No Higher Honor

The President stressed how honorable it is to be a legal American citizen. He also said he was honored to be the President of the five people, said a Washington Examiner report.

According to a Fox News report, he called American citizenship "the most prized, treasured, cherished, and priceless possession anywhere in the world."

Trump welcomed all the new U.S. citizens by saying there are now stewards of the country. He also boasts of the country's diverse "family," which features different races, colors, religions, and creeds.

The event was mixed with other speakers in the convention. It includes two of Trump's children, Tiffany and Eric, and his wife, Melania.

Promoting Legal Immigration

The goal of the ceremony is consistent with Trump's goals in his stay in the White House.

For the past years, he has sought to curb both legal and illegal immigration. He vowed for years to build a wall that would run across the U.S.-Mexico border.

The ceremony also comes as Trump and other GOP members seek to cast a more positive view of Trump's stay in the White House. They are hoping to get good results as the campaign enters its final 10 weeks.

In the NBC News' coverage of the Republican Convention, they noted that Trump had made such movements against legal immigrants, despite the event.

Attempts to blow off legal immigration include Trump's ban on Muslim majority countries, various visa limits, a limit on refugees, drastic changes to the asylum system, and others.

Acting as President

The event with the five new American citizens was the second time on Tuesday that Trump acted in his official power as President.

These kinds of ceremonies are also not common in these kinds of political party conventions. It was also rare for such events to take place in the White House.

Earlier that evening, they also aired a clip of Trump's pardon of a convicted bank robber. The person he pardoned now runs a nonprofit that serves prisoners.

Trump and other members of his party are now on the second day of the GOP convention.