NEW YORK: The Sloven­ian-born parents of US First Lady Melania Trump beca­­me US citizens at a naturalisation ceremony in New York on Thursday, their immigration lawyer Michael Wildes confirmed.

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, criticising so-called chain migration that allows naturalised 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.

Published in Dawn, August 11th, 2018