A Co Westmeath man will be among 31 people who will become US citizens today at a special ceremony with President Barack Obama on the 224th anniversary of the US Bill of Rights.
President Obama will use the occasion to deliver a keynote address on immigration, an issue that has become central to the current US presidential campaigns.
He is expected to address comments by Republican presidential nomination campaign frontrunner Donald Trump, who has followed descriptions of Mexicans as "murderers" and "rapists" with a call for a ban on Muslim immigrants.
Mr Obama issued several executive actions last year with a view to regularising the position of almost half the estimated 11 million undocumented, illegal immigrants in the US.
However, those schemes have been put on hold as a result of several legal challenges.
There will be 25 countries represented at the ceremony, including Ireland.
Michael Hennessy moved to the United States in 1999 and applied to become a citizen earlier this year, in order to exercise his right to vote, he says.
The 42-year-old works in the hospitality industry.
He originally moved to the US as part of the opening team of the Doyle Washington Hotel, now the Dupont Circle hotel.
Having originally travelled to the US on a J1 visa aged 26, he never left and now leads the sales and marketing operation for Marriott International, based at The Mayflower Hotel in Washington DC, a historic property.
Speaking to RTÉ News, Mr Hennessy said today will be a "bittersweet" day for him, as he is conscious of all the immigrants and refugees across the world who have not been afforded the same opportunities that he has.
He said friends had asked him to celebrate but he will not be for that reason, saying "my only hope is that my American Dream becomes possible for the many refugees who are trying to escape from their September 11th.
"I know that this is not an easy task but I hope and trust that as American citizens, we will do what is right and fair and forever remain the land of opportunity."
He said the rise of Mr Trump, who he describes as "breeding hatred", and his attitude to immigrants, had prompted him to think again about his immigrant status, although says he had decided to become a citizen in late 2013, early 2014, when he was renewing his Green Card, but just had not started the procedure until late summer of this year.
He said it is incredibly exciting and special to have the US President attending his naturalisation ceremony and expects him to address the plight of immigrants and refugees in his speech.
He said it is also noteworthy the ceremony is taking place at the National Archives on the 224th anniversary of the ratification of the Bill of Rights, which he describes as basic rights that every American is entitled to.
He added: "Donald Trump does not stand for those freedoms".
Mr Hennessy also said that although he will be pledging allegiance to the United States today, that does not make him any less Irish, saying: "I'm Irish at heart."
He describes himself as "a big political junkie" but as a non-citizen he was unable to vote.
He says that he decided to apply for citizenship "primarily to exercise my right and use my voting power to contribute to the future of this country".
He says he is looking forward to casting his first vote in the 2016 presidential elections.
The countries represented at today's naturalisation ceremony are: Brazil, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Canada, Colombia, Republic of the Congo, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Ethiopia, France, Gabon, Germany, Honduras, Hong Kong, Iraq, Ireland, Jamaica, Nepal, Peru, Philippines, Romania, Saint Lucia, Uganda, and Venezuela.
