On the Fourth of July, President Barack Obama welcomed 25 newly sworn American citizens. All are active-duty U.S. service members.

They are from 17 different countries, including Mexico, Nigeria and Russia, the Associated Press reported.

The president used the occasion to state his ideas on immigration: “Immigration makes America stronger. Immigration makes us more prosperous. Immigration positions America to lead in the 21st century.”

The president noted the diverse backgrounds of these new Americans and spoke of how America has welcomed immigrants from many different places around the world.

Mr. Obama mentioned his administration’s initiative to stop deporting young people who were brought to America as children and had joined the U.S. military or attended college.

Yet he said there was much more to be done in the area of immigration reform: the system needs a major overhaul.

Whoever is elected president must place immigration reform high on the agenda.

Immigrants serving honorably in the armed services deserve a pathway to citizenship. There are highly educated immigrants and those who provide a useful service doing tough jobs that need to be filled who should be considered as well.

The United States needs to update its immigration policies.

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