The parents of first lady Melania Trump became naturalized U.S. citizens on Thursday, taking the oath in a private ceremony in New York, according to their attorney. 
 
 Viktor and Amalija Knavs are originally from Slovenia but have lived in the United States for over a decade, during which time they gained permanent legal residency, said Michael Wildes, the couple's immigration lawyer. 
 
 Wildes told reporters the couple "have travailed a wonderful journey like millions have, in getting citizenship and waiting the requisite period of time." 
 
 He said that despite having the president of the United States for a son-in-law, the Knavses followed a process to gain their citizenship that "was no different than anybody else's." 
 
 The White House declined to comment on the Knavses' newly acquired citizenship status, saying they were "not part of the administration and deserve privacy." 
 
 After living between Trump Tower and Mar-a-Lago for several years, Viktor and Amalija Knavs reportedly moved to the Washington suburbs following Trump's inauguration,and are frequently spotted traveling with the first lady and the Trumps' son, Barron Trump. 
 
 The question of how the Knavses originally gained their green cards has become a controversial one since Trump won the presidency on an anti-immigration platform. Trump has frequently railed against the family visa system, or so-called chain migration, which permits U.S. citizens to sponsor their family members for visas. 
 
 Even so, experts say chain migration is the most likely way the Knavses gained their permanent residency in the United States. ||||| WASHINGTON — The parents of the first lady, Melania Trump, have obtained lawful permanent residency in the United States, a lawyer for the couple confirmed Wednesday, but it remains unclear how or when the couple received their green cards. 
 
 The lack of clarity about when and how Viktor and Amalija Knavs obtained their legal residencies raises questions about whether the couple secured their residency through family-based immigration, which President Trump calls chain migration and has said he wants to restrict. Immigration experts said it would have been the most direct, and most likely, way for Mrs. Trump’s parents, formerly of Slovenia, to get their green cards. 
 
 Their immigration lawyer, Michael J. Wildes, declined to offer any details. 
 
 “It’s a privilege to help this family, but I have to respect their privacy as well,” Mr. Wildes said in a brief interview. 
 
 “Immigration is in our DNA,” he added. “We have to take great pride, no matter where somebody hails from, in that legacy.”
– The US gained two new citizens of note on Thursday: Viktor and Amalija Knavs, parents of first lady Melania Trump. The couple are natives of Slovenia, where they raised Melania, but have been in the US for more than a decade, says their immigration lawyer, per CNBC. Their path to citizenship "was no different than anybody else's," adds Michael Wildes. The couple reportedly live in the DC suburbs and are frequently seen out with their daughter and grandson, Barron. The couple's exact path to citizenship isn't clear, but one likely possibility is that their daughter's citizenship helped them get green cards first, reports CNBC. As CNN notes, critics have pointed out that President Trump wants to end that type of family-based migration.