President Barack Obama granted U.S. citizenship to 25 active service members on Wednesday at the White House.
“It brings me great joy and inspiration because it reminds us that we are a country that is bound together not simply by ethnicity or bloodlines, but by fidelity to a set of ideas,” the president said, according to a transcript.
The 25 now-naturalized citizens are from 17 different countries, including Russia, Mexico, Nigeria, and the Philippines.
“Immigration makes us more prosperous. And immigration positions America to lead in the 21st century. And these young men and women are testaments to that,” Obama said.
The president noted his push last month to stop deporting young people brought into the United States as children who later went to college or joined the armed forces. The move was widely praised by Hispanics.
Obama’s election rival, Mitt Romney, said the measure last month was politically motivated and an attempt to gain support among Hispanics in the upcoming election.
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