David Rubenstein Quotes

Only 36 percent of Americans could pass a multiple-choice civics test of the kind that is administered to immigrants seeking to become citizens.

I am a naturalized U.S. citizen, which means that, unlike native-born citizens, I had to prove to the U.S. government that I merited citizenship.

Citizenship obtained through naturalization is not a second-class citizenship.

It was a really big deal to become an American citizen the right way. You have to work really hard, and it is such an honor to be able to say that.

Foreigners may be admitted to citizenship by naturalization, either collectively or individually. Collective naturalization may occur when a foreign territory and its inhabitants are transferred to the United States.

It took me 17 years to become a U.S. citizen.

We watched the U.S. citizenship immigration services web site in March. They had six million, two hundred thousand hits, and two million people downloaded applications for citizenship. So what we're doing is attempting to help people in that process.

We [native-born] could not choose, but they [immigrants] could and did choose to be Americans.

All free white people who have or shall migrate into the United States, and shall give satisfactory proof, before a magistrate, by oath, that they intend to reside herein, and shall take an oath of allegiance, and shall have resided in the United States for one whole year, shall be entitled to all the rights of citizenship.

I got my green card and everything through my work, even before marriage or anything like that, so you really have to follow the rules and do everything the right way to be able to accomplish that, so it was big... I had my green card for so long.

In the U.S., those requesting a Green Card must take an oath that they will fulfill the rights and duties of citizenship.

You follow the law. Every few months, you need to fly back to Europe and stamp your visa. After a few visas, I applied for a green card and got it in 2001. After the green card, I applied for citizenship. And it was a long process.

I plan on becoming an American citizen and bringing over my family.

The oath of renunciation and allegiance is a solemn vow taken by thousands of immigrants each year to become a United States citizen. The oath is the fundamental statement of allegiance to the United States, and this allegiance is what unites America.

We should not blur the lines between legal and illegal immigrants. Millions of people around the world have gone through the process to come here legally and they followed the rules that required them to pay a fee, learn English, and learn about American history and government.

No American should be forced to choose between their spouse and their country.

I spend more time in New York than the Dominican. I play here, I live here, so why not become a citizen?

When you become an American, they give you an injection so your accent changes.

Although an increasing proportion of the Hispanic population is foreign-born - about half of adults in this group - English proficiency is and should remain a requirement for citizenship.

I became an American citizen three years ago, and if I'd been arrested, maybe that wouldn't have happened. That was a very proud moment, by the way. I still have my Irish passport, but becoming an American citizen was important in terms of my family.

Have you ever watched someone become American? Last week, at a national citizenship conference I organize, thirty immigrants from 17 countries swore an oath and became citizens of the United States. It was a stirring experience for the hundreds of people in the room.

Birth on U.S. territory has never been an absolute claim to citizenship.

Republicans say they want citizenship to truly mean something. Let's be equal-opportunity about it and test everyone, including those very Republicans and others whose forbears came here generations ago.

It takes more than just walking across the border to become an American citizen. It's what's in our souls.

I'm a proud American - becoming a citizen in 1988 was one of the most profoundly moving occasions in my life; I'm a former Texan and a recent Californian.