Attorney General Loretta Lynch indicated Thursday that she sees the 2016 election — in which President-elect Trump won the White House and Republicans kept control of Congress — as a step backward for the country, especially for immigrants and new citizens.
Lynch spoke at a naturalization ceremony for new U.S. citizens in Washington, D.C., and said she is “humbled” by their efforts to study the U.S. system of government and become full citizens. But she also warned that while the U.S. “strives against prejudice and discrimination,” progress on those issues is not always in a straight line.
“Of course, observing actual democracy in action reveals it to be a tumultuous process, as our recent election has shown,” she said, according to her prepared remarks.
“The rhetoric and the tone around so many issues can lead to fear and uncertainty and may have caused some of you to question whether the country you have seen over recent weeks and months is indeed the same one whose founding principles you’ve been studying so diligently,” she added.
“Yet the history you learned gives us the answer to that question,” Lynch added. “Over 200 years ago, we decided what kind of a country we wanted to be. We’re not there yet and we have had challenges at many points along the way.”
Lynch also encouraged the group of new citizens to vote and to be as involved in national and local politics as possible.
“I ask that you give your voice, your passion and your energy to the work of building a country that keeps faith with our founding promises,” she said. “I hope you will choose to vote in every election. I hope we will see and hear you in a range of settings — from school board meetings to charity fundraisers, from Little League games to political debates.
“From the military to government; from academia to the arts — in every sector of every industry, we are stronger because of the diversity and talent of Americans with immigrant roots,” Lynch added. “And so we celebrate all of the richness you bring to our tapestry. We celebrate the foods you eat, the languages you dream in and the religions you practice.”
