SOUTH JORDAN, Utah - 13 New Americans swore to protect and defend the constitution and the laws of the United States in a ceremony at the South Jordan Library at 11am Monday.
They came from as far as India and as close as Mexico, with some of retirement age and others in their twenties.
Representative Mia Love, herself the daughter of immigrants from Haiti, spoke to the group after they took the oath.
"My parents came from a country that was run with one dictator after another dictator," love told the group.
She told them she understood how difficult it was to become a citizen.
"This isn't easy, but I promise doing it the right way is worth it," said Love.
After the ceremony, Love declined to take a stand on what has become a hot button topic in the race for the Republican presidential nomination.
Asked if she approved of the term "anchor baby" to describe children of illegal immigrants who gain automatic citizenship, Love said, "My thought is let's enforce the laws on the books. The reason why we have so many people here illegally is that it's so easy to be here illegally."
But the congresswoman said she would propose legislation to make it more clear how to enter the U.S. legally as a worker or as a prospective citizen.
One idea she suggested: asking workers on temporary visas to leave a deposit upon entry. She said it would be a way to know who overstayed their welcome because they would not request their refund when they finished their stay.
