Viktor and Amalija Knavs, the parents of first lady Melania Trump, took the oath of citizenship Thursday in New York City, their attorney said. | Seth Wenig/AP Photo Melania Trump’s parents take citizenship oath in New York City

The parents of first lady Melania Trump have become citizens, an attorney representing the family confirmed to POLITICO on Thursday.

Viktor and Amalija Knavs took the oath of citizenship Thursday in New York City, the attorney said.


The route the couple took to citizenship remains unclear. Michael Wildes, the family’s attorney, has declined to comment on the process, but he said in February that they had become permanent residents and were on track to naturalize.

The Knavs’ immigration status has drawn scrutiny amid President Donald Trump’s sustained attack on legal and illegal immigration.

The president in particular has vented about the family-based immigration system, which the administration dubs “chain migration.”

“CHAIN MIGRATION must end now!” Trump tweeted in November after a fatal attack in Manhattan allegedly perpetrated by an Uzbek immigrant. “Some people come in, and they bring their whole family with them, who can be truly evil. NOT ACCEPTABLE!”

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Melania Trump’s own immigration history has raised questions in light of the president’s hard-line views.

Wildes said in a 2016 letter that Melania Trump sponsored herself for a green card as a model of "extraordinary ability" and became a lawful permanent resident in March 2001.

The Associated Press, which first reported on the Knavs’ naturalization, said they arrived and left the ceremony Thursday accompanied by Department of Homeland Security officers.

