B Stands for Beauty

Good afternoon,

This week, in honor of Independence Day, more than 9,000 people became U.S. citizens in 170 naturalization ceremonies across the country. President Biden hosted a ceremony at the White House last Friday, where 21 new American citizens took the oath of allegiance. In a moving speech, the President remarked, "It’s the dreams of immigrants like you that build America and continue to inject new energy, new vitality and new strength." Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas joined the ceremony and echoed this welcoming sentiment: "Our country is also better today because its identity and its fabric as a nation of immigrants is stronger because of you." We couldn’t agree more – America’s beauty lies in its diversity.

President Biden coupled these ceremonies with a renewed call for immigration reforms, including legislation to provide pathways to citizenship for Dreamers. He also launched a push to encourage longtime residents to begin the process to apply for citizenship – a clear departure from the previous administration.

These ceremonies highlight the best of our American values – the prospect of freedom, safety, and opportunity. They also  underscore how far we have to go to turn these aspirations into a reality for everyone. We believe immigration reforms are essential to fulfilling America's promise of opportunity and equality for all. And we remain committed to bipartisan solutions that recognize the value of immigrants, and provide humane, commonsense improvements to our immigration system.

All the best,

Kathleen

Kathleen Gillen
Assistant Vice President of Field and Constituencies
National Immigration Forum 

P.S. This Independence Day, we also extend our gratitude to the men and women in uniform – including many immigrants – who serve and sacrifice for our country. We applaud the Biden administration’s new initiative to support noncitizen servicemembers and protect active military, veterans, and their family members from deportation.

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