President Obama to Deliver Keynote Address at National Archives Naturalization Ceremony on December 15
Press Release · Friday, December 11, 2015
Washington, DC
31 new citizens to be sworn in on the 224th anniversary of the ratification of the Bill of Rights
On Tuesday, December 15, President Barack Obama will address 31 petitioners seeking United States citizenship during a naturalization ceremony in the Rotunda of the National Archives Museum in Washington, DC, where the Charters of Freedom (the Declaration of Independence, Constitution of the United States, and Bill of Rights) are on permanent display. ?The ceremony is closed to the public but will be webcast live online [www.whitehouse.gov/live/] starting at 11:25 a.m.
NOTE TO MEDIA: The Naturalization Ceremony will have pooled press coverage for cameras, but is open to correspondents. All media credentialing is being managed by the White House. The Rotunda will be lit for the ceremony and facsimiles will cover the original documents.
The ceremony includes a welcome from Archivist of the United States David S. Ferriero, remarks by Deputy Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas and the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services Director León Rodríguez leading the Pledge of Allegiance.
December 15 marks the 224th anniversary of the ratification of the Bill of Rights. In 2016, the National Archives will commemorate the 225th anniversary with a new exhibit titled "Amending America."
The naturalization ceremony is presented in partnership with the White House, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, the Department of Homeland Security, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
The Honorable Richard W. Roberts, United States District Court for the District of Columbia, will preside as the petitioners for United States citizenship take the oath of citizenship at the National Archives. The new citizens are from 25 nations: Brazil, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Canada, Colombia, Republic of the Congo, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Ethiopia, France, Gabon, Germany, Honduras, Hong Kong, Iraq, Ireland, Jamaica, Nepal, Peru, Philippines, Romania, Saint Lucia, Uganda, and Venezuela.
Due to the ceremony, the National Archives Museum will open to the public at 1 p.m. and remain open until 5:30 p.m. Regular hours of 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m. resume on December 16, and closed on December 25.
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