New York – First lady Melania Trump’s parents were sworn in as U.S. citizens Thursday.
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Viktor and Amalija Knavs, both in their 70s, took the citizenship oath at a special, private ceremony in New York City. The Slovenian immigrants, a former car dealer and textile factory worker, had been living in the U.S. as permanent residents.
The Knavses slipped in and out of a side entrance at a Manhattan federal building flanked by Department of Homeland Security police. They said little other than Viktor telling a reporter “thank you” when she asked how they felt about becoming Americans.
The couple’s lawyer said they had “travailed a wonderful journey.”
Lawyer Michael Wildes said the Knavses applied for citizenship on their own and didn’t get any special treatment. He wouldn’t say who sponsored their green cards.
“This golden experiment, these doors that are in America, remain hinged open to beautiful people as they have today,” Wildes said.
Amid a bitter debate over immigration — particularly the Trump administration’s separation of children from families crossing the border illegally — Wildes said the Knavses’ attaining citizenship was “an example of it going right.”
Melania Trump, who has been vacationing with her husband in Bedminster, New Jersey, did not accompany her parents.
Her spokeswoman, Stephanie Grisham, declined to comment. She said the first lady’s parents “are not part of the administration and deserve privacy.”
President Donald Trump in January proposed ending most family-based immigration and replacing it with a skills-based system. The Republican president also called for eliminating a visa lottery program for people from countries under-represented in the U.S.
Trump’s plan, which Congress has resisted, would limit immigrants like his wife to sponsoring only their spouses and underage children to join them in the U.S., not their parents, adult children or siblings.
Experts estimate those measures would cut legal immigration into the U.S. nearly in half.
Wildes wouldn’t say how long the Knavses have lived in the U.S. Under the law, permanent residents must live in the country for at least five years before applying for citizenship.
The Knavses’ citizenship ceremony was kept hush-hush at the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building. Security guards and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services workers in offices adorned with President Trump’s portrait said they were unaware of anyone being sworn in there on Thursday.
New citizens are normally minted on Fridays, they said, and often the ceremonies are held at the federal courthouse across the street.
The Knavses raised Melania, born Melanija, in the rural industrial town of Sevnica while Slovenia was under Communist rule.
She attended high school in the Slovenian capital, Ljubljana, and changed her name to Melania Knauss when she started modeling.
She settled in New York in 1996 and met Trump two years later. They married in 2005.
Viktor Knavs is 74, two years older than his son-in-law. Amalija is 73.
Trump hasn’t commented or tweeted about his in-laws’ newfound citizenship.
Around the same time the Knavses were completing the ceremony, he was tweeting his rage about the ongoing Russia probe (“an illegally brought Rigged Witch Hunt”) and his excitement about plans for a sixth branch of the military (“Space Force all the way!”).
Beautiful. I wish them well. And as the presdients shver they deserve the honor of moving to the head of the line. Its the least we can do for the man in the highest office,
Mazel Tov to them! I hope that the press treats them kindly, but I’m not optimistic. Incidentally, they are very good grandparents, as they help Melania with Barron.
As we re-live the events of 1933 with Trumpf goose-schlepper archie leading the way, it would be most interesting to learn if the Knavs family (changed to the German Knauss) served with the nazi Slovene Home Guard during the War. Fortunately, most of them were slaughtered by anti-fascist Partisans in May 1945…
To #5 - Your posts are becoming more and more brilliant; even if their family did serve with that fascist organization, what does that have to do with them? According to your depraved logic, Arnold Schwarzenegger should also be condemned, because his Father was a Nazi.
They better hope Trump doesn’t divorce Melania during his term. Because ICE will be banging down their door quicker than you can say MAGA.
Hashomer, amazing how you’re able to get to a computer in the insane asylum.