Washington: President Barack Obama says at a swearing-in ceremony for 31 new US citizens that immigration is the nation’s oldest tradition and part of what makes the country exceptional.
Obama says that Americans can never say often enough that immigrants and refugees renew the nation.
Obama is seeking this week to reassure the public about his strategy for stopping the Islamic State group while also emphasizing that the United States is a welcoming country that promotes religious tolerance.
He has been seeking implicitly to draw a contrast with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, who has called for a temporary ban on Muslims.
Obama spoke at the National Archives Museum, where immigrants from Iraq, Ethiopia, Uganda and 22 other nations were sworn in as US citizens.