MJ Lee became an American citizen in 2016, following an Ellis Island naturalization ceremony with nearly 300 other immigrants from 53 countries.
“As I recited the Oath of Allegiance with my right hand raised in the air, the historical significance of where I stood was overwhelming,” said Lee, who was born in South Korea and raised in Hong Kong. “An estimated 12 million immigrants came to America through this gateway — some of the benches we were sitting on were used by the immigrants who came to New York Harbor on ships.”
Lee moved to the United States for boarding school. In 2014, she joined CNN, where she is now a White House correspondent. Previously, she covered the 2020 and 2016 presidential elections. It wasn’t always easy. “The [2016] campaign has taken me to towns and neighborhoods where I felt certain that I was the only non-white person, and where the first question I am most often asked is where I am from.”
Lee, who did not start learning English until she was eight, has also covered Republican efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, as well as the #MeToo movement and its wider impact on Capitol Hill and the government. She got her start as a web producer at Politico after graduating from Georgetown University.
