English subtitles for clip: File:The First Lady Speaks at Naturalization Ceremony.webm

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(applause)

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Mrs. Obama: Well, let me join
Jeh by saying good morning,

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my fellow Americans.

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Sounds pretty good, huh?

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You like that, right?

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(laughter)

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All right, I'm going to loosen
you up if it takes all morning.

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You're now citizens!

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It's very cool.

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(laughter)

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And I am honored to be here.

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This is an exciting day,
and it's just wonderful

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that I can be among the
first to congratulate

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you on becoming
American citizens.

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And I also want to welcome
your family and friends

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who are here -- let's see the
family members who are here.

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Where are they?

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You guys are here,
that's good, that's good.

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Yes.

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(applause)

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I know how important these
people are because I know

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that they've supported
you every step of the way.

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And I see that they are beaming
with pride, so welcome.

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I want to thank Secretary
Johnson, Director Scialabba,

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for taking the time
to be here today

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and for their tremendous work.

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I also want to especially thank
David and the incredible staff

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at the National Archives for
making today's event possible.

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This is a beautiful setting.

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It's amazing that just a few
feet from here where I'm

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standing are the signatures of
the 56 Founders who put their

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names on a Declaration that
changed the course of history.

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And like the 50 of you, none
of them were born American --

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they became American.

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Just like you're about to
pledge allegiance to our flag,

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they pledged their
lives, their fortunes,

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and their sacred honor to this
extraordinary idea that we now

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know as America -- the notion
that we are all created equal,

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endowed with fundamental
rights and freedoms

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that no one can ever
take away from us.

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People come from across the
globe to see these documents,

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to read the names and
signatures of the very first

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"Americans-by-choice,"
because they know that this

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room holds the first chapter
of our shared history.

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And today, it holds the next
chapter of our story, as well.

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As the newest
"Americans-by-choice," you, too,

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will play an important part
in shaping our history.

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Some of you were brought
here as children.

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Others came here to
be with a loved one.

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Some of you, like
Parish Sapkota,

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have risked their lives for this
country by serving overseas.

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Others haven't worn
the uniform themselves,

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but have served America
by supporting a spouse

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or a child who has.

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Take Blue Star Mom
Zlatka Stefanova.

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Her son Marian was wounded
in an ambush in Iraq.

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He spent 18 months at
Walter Reed recovering

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from his injuries.

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And today, with the love
and support of his mother,

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Marian is a proud officer in
the Fairfax Police Department.

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But no matter what your
story, from this day forward,

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for the rest of your lives, you
will always be able to say,

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"Yes, I am an American citizen."

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And I know this is an exciting,
hopeful time for all of you,

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but it's also an exciting,
hopeful time for our country.

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Because the fact is,
America needs you.

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Immigration is at the heart of
how we developed as a nation.

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In every generation, immigrants
have earned their place

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as part of "We the People."

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With the exception of
just a few ethnicities,

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every person in this country
can trace their history back

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to a parent, or a grandparent,
or a great-grandparent,

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or an ancestor who made
that choice to be part

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of this country.

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And today, much of our
success is because we still

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very much are a nation
of immigrants.

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Immigrants start roughly one
in four of our new businesses.

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About 30,000 permanent residents
serve in our military.

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And according to one study,
over the past 50 years,

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more than a quarter of
our Nobel Laureates based

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in the U.S. have
been foreign-born.

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So in many ways, it is
because of, not in spite of,

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our immigrant population that we
grow stronger every single day.

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Yet today, here in Washington,
folks are still debating

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whether or not to fix our
immigration system even

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though just about everyone
agrees that it is broken.

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But I want you all to know that
my husband has made this his top

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legislative priority, and he
refuses to give up the fight.

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Because at the end of the day,
this fight isn't just about

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abstract principles,
it's about real people.

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People like you.

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People like us --
our fellow Americans.

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That's who you are.

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You came here today as citizens
of 44 different countries,

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and you'll leave here as
citizens of one great nation --

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the United States of America.

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And I hope that you never
take that for granted,

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because I know how hard
you worked for this.

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You earned it.

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And to be a citizen
of this country

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is an incredible blessing.

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And what I hope you always
remember is that, as citizens,

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we do not shut the doors
of opportunity behind us.

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We preserve the
promise of America.

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We renew it.

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We extend it so that future
generations of Americans --

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Americans by birth and
"Americans-by-choice" --

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can do their part to form
the more perfect union

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that our founders imagined
so many years ago.

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So I want to once again
congratulate you on this

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important honor, this
extraordinary honor.

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And I wish you the very best
of luck on your journey

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ahead as citizens of
this great country.

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Thank you so much,
and God bless.

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(applause)