McGovern Congratulates New Citizens During Naturalization Ceremony in Amherst

Congressman James P. McGovern (D-MA), Chairman of the House Rules Committee, welcomed twenty-one new United States Citizens during a naturalization ceremony at the Jones Library in Amherst yesterday. The new citizens were from 15 different countries including Japan, France, and Colombia. Their oath was administered by United States District Court Magistrate Judge Katherine Robertson. His full remarks, as delivered, are below.

Good afternoon, everybody. It is truly an honor to be here with all of you to witness such an exciting and uplifting ceremony.

Thank you very much to Judge Robertson for presiding over this special day. I want to associate myself with the remarks of everybody who has already spoken. You are in an incredible community. Amherst is a wonderful place, you met the town manager and members of the town council. This library is an important treasure as well. I not only come here to learn from the books, but we have had many community meetings in this very room on subjects far and wide. This is a gathering place and an important place to learn.

First, let me say congratulations to each and every one of you. I know that this is a moment that many of you have only dreamed of until now — and it’s one that you have worked so long and so hard for. You are an inspiration to us all.

I know each of you is filled with gratitude and pride, but let me also say that we are proud of — and grateful for — you. We are proud that you have chosen to join us as citizens, and grateful for all the wonderful ways in which you enrich our country and make it a better place.

Today — in the presence of your family, your friends, and your community, each of you has raised your right hand and taken the same solemn oath that generations of new Americans have taken to support and defend the Constitution of the United States of America.

Today’s ceremony reminds us that as citizens, we are not bound together by how we look, or speak, or dress, or worship — but by shared loyalty to our founding principles of liberty, justice, and equality.

As your Congressman, it brings me great joy to be one of the first people to greet you as “my fellow Americans.” And to be honest with you, it is one of my favorite things to do.

That’s because I believe that immigrants are what make America great. America doesn’t simply tolerate immigrants — we welcome them with outstretched arms. You are the strength and the spirit of our nation.

From the first pilgrims who found freedom on the shores of Plymouth Bay here in Massachusetts, to the waves of immigrants from Ireland and Italy and China that built our cities, laid our railroads, and plowed our fields — immigrants made America what it is today.

And just as important, our culture has been enriched by the ideas, traditions, and customs of people from every corner of the world who brought their stories here to America.

Let me remind you all what was not in your oath.

You were not asked to swear off the art, music, food, or traditions of your country of origin. Instead, we ask that you bring your heritage here to enrich our society and expand our horizons.

In many countries, such differences cause deep division — sometimes even war.

But here, in America, we treasure these differences. They make us who we are. We believe that our diversity — your diversity — is a strength.

Now I know what some of you are thinking. There are some people in America who have a different view of immigrants. They believe immigration is a weakness. It’s perhaps the greatest irony of our history that many of those who demonize immigrants today are the sons and daughters of immigrants themselves. How quickly they forget.

Yet as citizens, it is now your duty to ensure that we do not repeat the mistakes of the past. We are all Americans. No citizen is any more, or any less, than anyone else.

Each of us is called to stand up for our fellow citizens and speak out against hatred and bigotry. I ask that you not only exercise the rights that are yours, but also to stand up for the rights of others.

Whether it’s a taunt against someone who looks different on a bus or a comment at work about someone’s ethnicity — I’m counting on you to speak up. Even when it’s not easy. Especially when it’s not easy.

That brings me to my final point. Being a citizen is hard work. That’s because citizenship isn’t just a status — it’s a state of being.

America is a great and unfinished experiment in self-government, founded on the idea that, we, the people, can govern and make decisions for ourselves — that through our own hard work and willpower, we can create a better future for our children and their children.

That work doesn’t just belong to me or the elected officials that are here today. It doesn’t just belong to the judge. It doesn’t just belong to the President. It belongs to each of us, as citizens. We need you to participate. To get involved. Not just on election day by voting, but every day. I mean it when I say that the success or failure of our experiment in democracy is in your hands.

We need you at town halls and city council meetings. We need you to protest and organize and call your elected officials and even to run for office. Although, I hope none of you run for Congress. We need you to stay informed and to inform others. And when our country doesn’t live up to its ideals, we need you to speak out and call us all to a higher standard. I think being a citizen is not just cheering on our country when things are going well. Being a citizen also requires us to dissent and to raise our voices in the face of policies we disagree with or deplore. To be silent when you think our country is going in the wrong direction — that’s not patriotism, that’s not being a good citizen. I personally believe that’s moral cowardice. So, we need you to be involved in every sense of the word.

The words of our founding documents, as inspiring as they may be, mean nothing if ordinary citizens don’t fight to make them real for all Americans. I am confident that each of you will meet these obligations. And I hope you know that I am proud to be your partner in that work.

Today the paperwork is official. But you already know the truth: being an American isn’t just about what’s on the paperwork. It’s about what’s in your heart. America is an idea that lives wherever there are people striving to help their neighbors, better their communities, struggle for justice, and work towards peace.

And today, that idea finally becomes a reality for each of you. I can’t tell you what an honor it is to welcome you home.

Thank you.