The Trump Admin Is Right To Screen Potential U.S. Citizens For ‘Good Moral Character’:
If Lafayette, William Penn, and Winston Churchill were subject to individualized examination before a grant of honorary citizenship, then certainly the same should apply to the millions of aliens who wish to become Americans today.
A recent U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services memo announced that foreigners aspiring to become American citizens must meet a “Good Moral Character” standard. This directive is a return to policies that existed before the loosening of naturalization requirements in the early 1990s. That USCIS is now again requiring foreigners to demonstrate “character commensurate with the standards of average citizens” is positive.
Critics argue the change will make acquiring citizenship too difficult or political. But as the USCIS memo relates, naturalization is not simply “a procedural immigration benefit.” And the grant of citizenship has never been completely apolitical. Naturalization is a gift from the American people, not a status earned by ticking administrative boxes. So important is that gift that a congressional grant of mere honorary citizenship to the universally esteemed Winston Churchill in 1963 engendered thoughtful, bipartisan debate before its passage.
A review of the history of that bill is a reminder that American citizenship is sacred and should be granted only following a thorough examination of those aspiring to naturalize. The Trump administration’s return to a comprehensive, individualized good moral character standard restores this important tradition. Congress should support this positive development, just as it eventually did in granting honorary citizenship to Winston Churchill.
A popular misbelief holds that the Marquis de Lafayette was the first foreigner to receive honorary citizenship. This myth originates from a grant of full Maryland citizenship to Lafayette by that state’s General Assembly in 1784. Upon ratification of the U.S. Constitution four years later, Lafayette, like all Marylanders, became an American citizen. The actual first grant of honorary citizenship was that to Churchill. Since then, seven other foreigners have been granted honorary American citizenship: Raoul Wallenberg (1981), William Penn and his wife (1984), Mother Teresa (1996), Lafayette (finally formalized in 2002), Casimir Pulaski (2009), and Bernando de Gálvez (2014).
Journalist and former OSS employee Kay Halle initiated the effort to make Churchill an honorary citizen. Inspired by her friendships with the former Prime Minister’s family, Halle used her extensive Washington network to gain support. Her first success was in 1959, when she persuaded a then-Sen. John F. Kennedy to read a statement into the congressional record encouraging honorary citizenship for Churchill. Kennedy’s endorsement, however, noted that such an honor was appropriate only because “Sir Winston has left active political office.”
After JFK’s election to the presidency three years later, Halle visited the White House to discuss the matter further. President Kennedy agreed again to support honorary citizenship for Churchill, assigning arrangements to White House advisor Arthur Schlesinger Jr. In 1962 though, President Kennedy informed Halle that her idea was unconstitutional. He instead offered to name a naval vessel after Churchill.
Halle was unsatisfied. She flanked Kennedy by lobbying Congress directly, urging members to move immediately in light of Churchill’s advancing age. Simultaneously, she led a public campaign that took to radio, newspapers, and magazines. Eventually, Schlesinger, in consultation with experts within the Department of State and the Department of Justice, determined that a narrowly enough crafted bill could pass constitutional muster.
In early 1963, Sen. Stephen Young and Rep. Frances Bolton, both from Halle’s home state of Ohio, introduced joint resolutions supporting honorary citizenship. On March 12, 1963, Representative Bolton’s resolution reached the floor first. Congresswoman Bolton opened debate with her hope that the bill would be “passed today without a dissenting vote.” That was the case for Senator Young’s resolution, which eventually advanced on a voice vote. --->READ MORE HERE
White House unveils letter President Donald Trump will send to new US citizens:
'Our Constitution is now yours to safeguard, honor, and respect,' President Trump's letter reads
The Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services agency (USCIS) unveiled a letter from President Donald Trump that newly naturalized legal migrants will receive upon obtaining citizenship in the U.S.
The letter, obtained by Fox News Digital, is written by President Trump and congratulates the new citizens while reminding recipients of the oath they’re taking to "forge a sacred bond with our Nation, her traditions, her history, her culture and her values."
"America has always welcomed those who embrace our values, assimilate into our society and pledge allegiance to our country," Trump writes in the letter. "This rich heritage is now yours to protect, promote and pass down to the next generation. Our history is now your history. Our customs are now your customs. And our Constitution is now yours to safeguard, honor and Respect."
"The United States is now your homeland, and you stand as a part of one Nation under God," Trump added. "You have pledged your heart to America—and in return, she offers the boundless promise of freedom and opportunity."
DHS and Trump himself have maintained an immigration policy stance consistent with the 47th president’s campaign promise to deport illegal immigrants who entered the country under the Biden Administration, while promoting migrating to the U.S. legally.
"I’m fine with legal immigration," Trump said during his first press conference of his second term. "We need people and I’m absolutely fine with it – we want to have it."
"American citizenship is a sacred trust, and it should never be treated like that," DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News Digital in a statement. "To be an American citizen is to commit yourself to upholding our values, culture, and Constitution." --->READ MORE HERE
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