June 26, 2019 / Carmel, NY – Assemblyman Byrne (R, C, Ref) was honored to provide the keynote speech at Wednesday morning’s naturalization ceremony at Putnam County’s Historical Courthouse, where he served as a witness to over 40 new Americans taking their oath of citizenship.
Assemblyman byrne shared a bit of his own personal family history, and the journey his ancestors took to make America, and specifically New York, their home. Above is a picture of the Assemblyman’s great grandfather, James J. Byrne, visiting his hometown decades after migrating from Villierstown, Waterford County, Ireland to New York by way of Ellis Island in 1905.
“Our nation has been shaped by so many hard-working immigrants” said Byrne, “Each adding to our diversity which has always been one of our nation’s greatest strengths. Many of these men and women have repeatedly demonstrated their willingness to contribute to our society.”
A few standout immigrants that came to Byrne’s mind were Alexander Hamilton, Joseph Pulitzer, Irving Berlin, Albert Einstein, and yes… even the former Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger aka The Terminator.