Two of the immigrants naturalized during a White House ceremony on Wednesday claimed they did not know it would be broadcast the second night of the Republican convention.
Sudha Narayanan and Neimat Awadelseid, two of the five people who took the oath of office on Tuesday, told the Wall Street Journal that they did not feel bad at the convention and that they were just minutes before the ceremony. found out that President Donald Trump would be there,
Even after the ceremony, the two said they were unaware that it would be included in the convention program that night.
While the two women have not worried about the events as they celebrate their newly granted citizenship, Democrats have blamed the move if Trump’s campaign political government functions.
Two women who were part of the pre-recorded naturalization ceremony at the White House on Tuesday said they were unaware that it would be broadcast as part of the Republican Convention
Trump also came under fire for Tuesday’s convention for issuing a pardon to a convicted bank robber who has now dedicated his life to helping transitional prisoners on release.
It is unclear whether the three other people who received citizenship on Tuesday were aware in advance of the use of the video at the convention or if they were OK with the move.
“We were just happy that it happened in a special place,” Narayanan said. “It was just a happy moment I cherished with my husband.”
She added: “This is a very great honor that the United States has extended to me.”
Critics claim that it was wrong not to inform participants that they were part of a political event. And others have noted the harsh illegal immigration policies of the Trump administration, which have been criticized by many on the left.
Hillary Clinton played Wednesday against Trump for making the naturalization ceremony part of the convention, and insinuated that there was hypocrisy in the movement because of his views on illegal immigration.
‘Trump has spent his entire political career demonizing immigrants. He has migrated babies in the cage at the border. He used fear of ‘caravans’ as a political prop,’ Clinton lamented in a tweet on Wednesday.
‘Looking at him presiding over a naturalization ceremony yesterday was like seeing a fox blessing a chicken coop,’ she continued.
The Trump campaign and RNC have pre-recorded the ceremony in the White House for the five people who became U.S. citizens, who were deported Tuesday night as part of the convention.
That step appeared to fly in the face of the Hatch Act, which prohibits the use of government property and personnel to campaign for a candidate. The White House said it had uploaded video of the ceremony to a website the Trump campaign has access to.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton suggested on Wednesday that there was hypocrisy in the movement, claiming that Trump used the event as a ‘political prop’ because she pointed to the administration’s tough immigration policy
Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf attended the ceremony and read the oath to the candidates for naturalization.
“On behalf of the Department of Homeland Security, it is my honor to call you My Fellow Americans,” Wolf said at the closing of the oath before handing the podium to Trump. ‘Mr. President. I would like to commend you again for your dedication to the rule of law, and for restoring integrity to our immigration system. Thank you for hosting such a patriotic party here in the White House today. ‘
Trump congratulates the five recipients of citizenship: ‘You are now citizens of the greatest nation on the face of God’s earth. ‘
‘You followed the rules, you followed the laws, you learned your history, you embraced our values and proved that you are men and women with the highest integrity. It’s not that easy. You’ve been through a lot, ” Trump said of the legal process to become a U.S. citizen.
The five countries represented at the ceremony were Bolivia, India, Sudan, Lebanon and Ghana.
The Trump administration has become known for its harsh illegal immigration policy because Democrats have paralyzed the president for separating families on the southern border.
There are concerns about violations of Hatch Act, as Acting Department of Homeland Security Chad Wolf read the oath from the White House
He came under extreme fire from Democrats for policies for keeping migrants in facilities along the border when they tried to filter earlier in his presidency – with many claiming refugee status.
Trump also got fire for his obedience to build a wall that spans the entire southern border.
Although not entirely complete, several hundred miles of boundary wall were erected during his presidency and is one of the major platforms he ran on in 2016 when he defeated Clinton.
First Lady Melania Trump, an immigrant herself, made comments to close the second night of the convention.
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