A crowd of 100 new citizens from 95 different countries was indeed pumped up Friday as former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, an actor and former bodybuilder, delivered the keynote address at George Washington’s Mount Vernon during a Fourth of July naturalization ceremony.
Employees of the hallowed estate estimated about 1,000 attendees were on hand for the festivities, with members of the public joining media members and families of new citizens.
The morning’s events began at George Washington’s tomb, whereupon Schwarzenegger and Doug Bradburn, Mount Vernon’s president and CEO, laid a wreath on the site of the first American president’s remains. The wreath was adorned with two horizontal ribbons reading “America’s First Action Hero” and “Love, Arnold.”
Following the wreath-laying ceremony, Schwarzenegger addressed members of the media.
“When I came to this country 57 years ago, not in my wildest dreams did I think – and I had wild dreams: being the greatest bodybuilder and a movie star and making a lot of money,” Schwarzenegger said, “that one day I [would] be asked to lay a wreath at George Washington’s tomb … I’m still in awe about all of this.”
At the ensuing naturalization ceremony, several officials provided remarks. They included Bradburn; Madeline Kristoff, deputy district director at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services; Aaron Calkins, the organization’s chief of staff; Troy Edgar, deputy secretary at the Department of Homeland Security; Schwarzenegger, delivering the keynote address; Hilary West, vice regent for the District of Columbia in the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association; and Amris Heaton, Washington field office director for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
During his address, Schwarzenegger – a Republican who endorsed former vice president Kamala Harris in last year’s presidential election – walked a fine line between the expression of political views and the encouragement of unity, with officials from President Donald Trump’s administration such as Edgar flanking him.
“Immigrants are action heroes,” Schwarzenegger said. “You are needed here.”
Schwarzenegger went on to address the difficulty he initially encountered upon arrival in the U.S., as Hollywood casting agents railed about his foreign accent and lamented that he could never be a movie star. Schwarzenegger said he finally broke through thanks to much learning and linguistic practice.
This fed directly into the main narrative of Schwarzenegger’s address – the universal need to work hard and refrain from giving up hope.
“[People] told me that they were losing hope about climate change and fossil fuels and the reduction in pollution and all this stuff because of various U.S. policies and reversals,” Schwarzenegger said. “You know what I say to this kind of defeatist attitude? Stop whining and get to work. The thing that I know about immigrants is that you are not whiners, because whining doesn’t get you the green card or the citizenship. Whining doesn’t put food on your table or pay the rent. Whining is weakness.”
Lance Cpl. Luis Vasquez, a native of Ecuador, was in military uniform during Friday’s ceremony as he took the oath of allegiance and became a new citizen. Amid his second year in the Marine Corps, he said he was grateful for the opportunities offered by his adopted homeland.
“I feel honored to serve in this country, and I’m glad I can give something back,” Vasquez told InsideNoVa. “It was really inspiring, just hearing what [Schwarzenegger] had accomplished all these years … for a lot of people or immigrants, just hearing this country has a lot of opportunities like he said, we just gotta go and work for it and fight for that.”
Kamilla Giliazova, a Russian native, immigrated to America 15 years ago for college at the age of 18. She told InsideNoVa she enjoyed Schwarzenegger’s commemoration of the event.
“Honestly, I haven’t expected this at all, but, I mean, I’ve seen his movies,” Giliazova said. “I’ve never experienced having someone of such high importance to be so close, so nearby. And it’s a very special day.”
Giliazova reflected on the lengthy application process that culminated in Friday’s events.
“My immigration case was probably 10 pounds worth of paperwork,” Giliazova said with a laugh. “It’s been a heavy load, but it’s worth it.”
Maria Corina Russian, originally from Venezuela, said Friday’s ceremony was a landmark occasion for her.
“[It’s] a milestone, an achievement that I worked for,” Russian said. “But it came after effort, after commitment, after giving and receiving. So I’m very happy.”
Russian added she found Schwarzenegger’s speech “meaningful.”
“It’s really the best speech,” she said. “I mean, I never thought it was going to be that good, but he’s great and the speech was really excellent. He gave us a lot of input, a lot of ideas, a lot of strength for what’s ahead, especially for the young people.”
Muriel Magne, a Cameroonian immigrant, expressed pride at the new pathways U.S. citizenship will lend her.
“The ceremony for me means to be to serve the country, to be a citizen, to make your dream come true,” Magne said, “to start a new journey, depending on your history or what you have been through since you have been in the United States.”
This article was written by FFXnow’s news partner InsideNoVa.com and republished with permission. Sign up for InsideNoVa.com’s free email subscription today.
