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BFF-07
US-POLITICS-IMMIGRATION-SLOVENIA-TRUMP
Melania Trump’s Slovenian parents get US citizenship
NEW YORK, Aug 10, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – The Slovenian-born parents of US First
Lady Melania Trump became US citizens at a naturalization ceremony in New
York on Thursday, their immigration lawyer Michael Wildes confirmed to AFP.
President Donald Trump’s in-laws, Viktor and Amalija Knavs, took the oath
of citizenship, Wildes said.
He did not specify how long it had taken the Knavs to complete the
citizenship process, nor whether the 48-year-old First Lady had sponsored
their permanent residency.
Trump has taken a hardline on immigration policy, criticizing so-called
chain migration that allows naturalized US citizens to sponsor close
relatives for permanent residency.
The Republican president argues that the system steals jobs from Americans
and threatens national security, calling for a merit-based system that
preferences more educated, English-speaking professionals.
Viktor Knavs, a car salesman in Slovenia, and Amalija, who worked in a
textile factory, are over 70 years old, retired and pass much of the year in
the United States, where they regularly spend time with their daughter and
grandson Barron.
BSS/AFP/MRI/0844 hrs