 All rise, all those having been before the Honorable James E. Boebert, chief judge of the United States District Court, in and for the District of Columbia. Now holding this naturalization ceremony, we'll draw a line and give their attention. God saves the United States of America and his honorable court. Please remain standing for the presentation of the colors, the playing of the national anthem, and the retirement of the colors. Colors, advance! Please be seated and come to order. This Honorable Court is now in session. Good morning everybody. My name is Jeb Boesberg and I'm the chief judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, which is just a few blocks away here. When I first joined the court, I learned that each judge had to take on a number of responsibilities once a year, all of which looked like chores to me. Swear in attorneys new to the court, review motions filed by people without lawyers, be available for emergency calls, and preside over naturalization ceremonies. So when I walked into my first ceremony 12 years ago, I really didn't know what to expect. But I quickly saw how amazing an event it is. It is people from all over the world who have worked so hard to attain citizenship. Family members and supporters gathered to celebrate the big day. I was overcome by how impressive it is and I now circle it on my calendar as my favorite ceremonial event that I preside over each year. But those ceremonies, which we hold in our ceremonial courtroom in the District Court, were small potatoes compared to what we have today. This is your first naturalization ceremony I understand in the National Archives. It's my first naturalization ceremony here in the National Archives, too. We're surrounded here by the documents that established our country and our system of government. The Declaration of Independence issued on July 4th, 1776, declaring our independence from Great Britain. You want to know why we have a holiday on July 4th, why we celebrate July 4th? Because that's the day our independence was declared, although it would take a lengthy war to finally secure that independence. The Constitution is here. The document that establishes our system of government and the three branches of that government. The legislative, the executive, and the judicial, of which I am representative today. The Bill of Rights is here, which are the first ten amendments to that Constitution which protect individual liberties, including the freedom of speech, freedom of religion in the press, and the freedom from warrantless searches and seizures. So it is a great honor for me to be here in this incredible space today, and let us begin with getting you folks naturalized. Ms. Logan. All right, I'm sorry, we'll start, I'm sorry, we'll start with Kea Langford first. Deputy Clerk from the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Good morning. May it please the court, when your name is called, please stand and answer here or present and remain standing. Taguise Solomon Terece. Eskel Balon Rosario. Laura Maritza Rojas Amorcho. Columbia. Isabella Carolina Pacil Maroon. Venezuela. Zorca Milen. Serbia. Awa Va. Senegal. Artenei Julisa Orsoto Blanco. El Salvador. Adonis Piablo Mokun. Cameroon. Deepak Dargesh Sheheda. India. Katsila Helemeskel. Telasadit Katsela. Ethiopia. Alyssa Kem Adolfo Okan. Philippines. Brajane Abidi Desta. Erichia. Peter Petrochenko. Belarus. Erin Patrick Murey. Ireland. Alex Marquis. Hungary. Arim Harsaw. Canada. Omar Thomas. Jamaica. Marlenei Davargem De Silva. Portugal. Niquel Chandel Chavelle. Guyana. Ahmed Henay Ghanim. Egypt. Delanem Kojo Tamcoli. Ghana. Yara Lilibeth Vesquez. Mexico. Ahabiel Mangesu. Germany. Moshemi Shahoudri. Bangladesh. Zani Musavi. Afghanistan. Your Honor. There are 24 applicants for naturalization. Each applicant has been examined by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service, and the government has completed its investigation in each case. It has been determined that each applicant is eligible for naturalization at this time. I move that upon taking the oath of allegiance to United States of America, each applicant present, having answered to his or her name, including those prayers for name change, be granted naturalization as citizens of the United States of America. I grant the motion and we will administer the oath. Please raise your right hand and repeat after me. I hereby declare on oath that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state or sovereignty of whom or which I have here to for been a subject or citizen that I will support and defend the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America against all enemies foreign and domestic that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law that I will perform noncombatant service in the armed forces of the United States when required by the law that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law and that I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion. So help me God. Congratulations, you may be seated. We will now have the Pledge of Allegiance and Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Everyone please be seated. Please welcome six grade students from Alice Steele Middle School who will recite the preamble to the U.S. Constitution. The people of the United States in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity to ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. Please welcome to the stage the archivist of the United States, Dr. Colleen Shogan. Ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests and most importantly, our new fellow citizens, welcome to the National Archives. As the archivist of the United States, it's my distinct honor to be the first to officially welcome you as the newest members of our big, boisterous American family. Welcome. 236 years ago this week, delegates from across the states came together in Philadelphia to sign the Constitution. As the students from Alice Steele Middle School so wonderfully recited, it starts with a simple but profound statement. We the people of the United States in order to form a more perfect union. These delegates understood that to succeed our democracy, what George Washington called our great experiment would require the active participation of an informed and engaged citizenry. In fact, at the end of the Constitutional Convention, a woman asked Ben Franklin if the proposed government would result in a republic or a monarchy. Dr. Franklin famously replied, a republic if you can keep it. So what did Dr. Franklin mean? His remark gets to the heart of what's required to sustain a democracy. Any government which derives its just powers from the people requires eternal vigilance, engagement, and knowledge. Today in this rotunda, we are surrounded by the most important documents in our nation's history. Just a few minutes ago, you pledged to uphold the Constitution, which outlines our system of governance. To my right is the Declaration of Independence, which the founders boldly set the vision for the nation, that all men are created equal. The hard work to fulfill this vision is ongoing, and as citizens now, you join the effort. To my left is the Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments to the Constitution. They spell out the fundamental rights and freedoms that are guaranteed to every American, including the freedom of speech, religion, and the press, the right to petition your government, and the right to do process of law. These charters are the bedrock of our democracy, but they are not static relics. They are a testament to the enduring values of freedom, justice, and equality that we are continuously striving to perfect. They are living promises, a covenant between the government and its citizenry. As the archivist of the United States, I hold these charters in trust, but I hope you will always remember, as American citizens, they belong to you. Now it's my pleasure to introduce someone who knows firsthand what today's naturalization ceremony means for you. Reverend Eugene Cho is the president and CEO of Bread for the World, an advocacy organization that works to empower policies and programs that can help end world hunger. His family made the hard trip from North Korea to South Korea, where he was born, and then the even harder decision to leave their homeland to come here to the United States. Reverend Cho is no stranger to making his voice heard. He has been recognized by the Department of Homeland Security as an outstanding American by choice. Please join me in welcoming Reverend Cho, and congratulations again to my fellow citizens. Well, good morning, everyone. This is one of, I hope, one of the most exciting days of your lives, and so let me share that once more. Good morning, everyone. Good morning, good morning. Well, let me join with others to extend congratulations to each of you on this special day and ceremony to celebrate your naturalization and citizenship. It is truly an honor, a privilege, to join you. But before I continue with my remarks, I want to take a moment to extend my gratitude again to Dr. Shogan and Judge Bosberg for the privilege of this opportunity to join this special occasion. If I may, I'd like to share briefly why this is such an honor for me. Even in the earlier portions of the ceremonies, I found myself holding back tears, which I wasn't expecting. I am a naturalized citizen, as you heard, who took an oath just like you are today to become an American citizen in 1984. But let me share, going further back, a glimpse of my story. My father was born in what is now called North Korea. If you were to ask him where he was born, he wouldn't say North Korea, because back then, there was only one country. He was born in Korea. In a very small village outside of a larger city called Pyongyang, which is now the capital city of North Korea. As one of six children, he faced extreme hunger and poverty. The stories that he shares are hard to believe. In search of a better life, his family fled south. He was six years old when they made that decision in the middle of the night that they had to flee away, only to later endure through the devastation of the Korean War. Fast forward many years in 1977, my parents themselves made a difficult decision to leave their homeland South Korea to come to the United States in hopes of providing more opportunities for my two older brothers and me. I was six years old. This was not an easy decision, and I wish we had all the time today to hear all of the stories that have led you to this moment. My parents left all that was familiar and comfortable with limited financial resources, a few words of imperfect phrases of English, but they were driven by their faith, their hopes of self-determination, and the promises and opportunities of this beautiful and imperfect nation. Their faith, decision, and courage has changed the trajectory of our lives. Not just mine, but my children, and my children's children, and I am so grateful. The journey hasn't always been easy, and I suspect we all know that part of the story. There have been many challenges, but I remember the day perhaps one of the most emotional moments of my life when I, the youngest of three sons, was the last to graduate from college. And my father, who was not able to go to school, my mother was not able to go to school. But I remember that day, many years ago, my father wept in tears on my graduation day and in Korean, he said, Which means, Eugene, now that you have graduated from college, your father can now die in peace. Indeed, their decision to immigrate, to become naturalized citizens, has changed the trajectory of our lives. How so? Imagine this, a son of my parents, of my grandparents, welcoming 25 new naturalized citizens from 24 nations in front of the original Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, at the Rotunda of the National Archives Museum. Wow, it's pretty amazing. I am here because of them. But I share this because I also want to remind you, there is, in my opinion, no such thing as a self-made person. Someone believed in you, someone prayed for you, someone encouraged you, someone advocated for you, someone supported you. And as you take some time to reflect on those that have given to you, it's important to pause, give thanks, but also be sure that you be that someone for others. May we also pledge to be citizens who also care for others. May we learn to be good neighbors, to be engaged citizens who don't just vote every two or four years, but citizens, humans, neighbors, Americans who daily seek the welfare and peace and common good of our neighborhood, community, environment, our cities, and our country, and the larger world. In other words, I want you to hear these words very well. This country needs you. I truly believe that. We need you. You enhance our communities and nation. You contribute to our great country. You strengthen our democracy. You enrich our American culture. We, as I shared earlier, my parents struggled with hunger and poverty. And one of the stories that I recall my father sharing is needing to pull out grass from the ground as a young boy and to consume it in order to satisfy his hunger pangs. This was one of the main reasons they pursued a better life for themselves. As Dr. Shogun shared, today I have the privilege of being the president of Bread for the World, one of the largest impactful Christian anti-hunger advocacy organizations in the country, seeking to end hunger both here in this nation, our nation, but also around the world. It might be sobering to share, but here in the United States, there are approximately nine million children that experience food insecurity around the world. Approximately 828 million people that experience hunger. It doesn't have to be this way. This matters deeply for me because as a Christ follower, and apologies as it's not my intent to sound preachy here, I believe that every human being is created in the image of God. Everyone has and deserves dignity and worth. This is my vow as a person of faith and also as an American citizen to advocate, to speak up so that your children, my children, their children, that all of our children can flourish and thrive. Please hear these words one more time. You matter, your stories matter, and your contributions matter to us. Congratulations to each of you, and God bless you. Thank you. Please welcome back to the stage the Honorable James E. Bosberg. Thank you so much, Reverend Cho, for those very inspiring remarks. And let me have a hat tip to my Alice Deal students, my neighborhood middle school. I live a few blocks from so thanks for doing the neighborhood proud, you guys. So I want to finish with just a few words. Aside from American Indians who are the true Native Americans, the United States is a nation of immigrants. Everyone's family came from somewhere else. So as of today, when you walk out of this amazing space and walk down the street or get on the metro, you are no longer any more of an immigrant. You are no more of an immigrant and no less of an American than anyone you see. Anyone in this city, anyone who lives anywhere across our broad country, you are a citizen just as they are citizens. I'll tell you a few quick facts about my family. My great-grandfather on my mother's side arrived at Ellis Island in New York from Hungary at the end of the 19th century with a sign around his neck instructing officials to send him to a small town in Illinois where he had relatives. He helped them pedal tin door-to-door. His son, my grandfather, ended up going to college at 15 and ultimately to Harvard Business School all in one generation after immigrating. Meanwhile, many of his relatives left behind in Hungary perished during the Holocaust of the Second World War. On my father's side, his immigrant ancestor came from the Netherlands. He jumped ship in New York Harbor and made his way to Buffalo, New York in the 1840s. One of his sons fought and died for the Union in the Civil War. His great-grandson, my father, would go on to Yale University and become a lawyer. And now their great-grandchildren can tell stories about them. Just as your children and your grandchildren and your great-grandchildren will tell stories of you and of this day that made their future lives in America possible. Congratulations and good luck to you, my fellow Americans. All rise! This concludes the ceremony. This honorable court is now adjourned. Everyone, please be seated during the presentation of certificates. American brothers and sisters, how are you? Now you've got to have proof that you're my American brother and sister, right? So how are we going to have it? So we're going to come up the first row, second, third. You're going to come all the way down the line. You're going to try to figure out an easier way. Work your way back around. You're going to stay in the order that you are. First row up. You ready, Simone? Brothers and sisters, rise, rise, rise! You want me to come this way? Follow me. Come this way. Don't follow me. Come this way, this way. Come down the line. Simone, please follow our volunteers to the reception room. And to see photos of today's event, please visit the link featured in your program. All rise for the exiting of the official party, please.