President Obama spent the Fourth of July leading a naturalization ceremony at the White House. Mitt Romney took part in an Independence Day parade in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire where he has been attending a family reunion for the past few days, The LA Times reports.

The naturalization ceremony for active-duty troops took place in the East Room of the White House. Along with Preisdent Obama, Janet Napolitano, Secretary of Homeland Security, joined in to deliver an oath of allegiance to the troops. In his speech following the ceremony, Obama urged Congress to pass immigration reform and touted the merits of the newly naturalized soldiers.

"The lesson of these 236 years is clear - immigration makes America stronger(…) these young men and women are testaments to that."

After his address Obama hosted a celebratory BBQ for the newly naturalized troops and their families. The president himself can be seen flipping burgers and sausages in the White House live stream. 

Not to be patriotically-outdone, Mitt Romney spent his day leading an Independence Day parade near his New Hampshire lakeside estate. Romney also debuted a new web ad, Best Of America and released a statement online:

“With so many around the world still consigned to tyranny, the Fourth of July is a time to appreciate the blessing of liberty and be thankful that we are Americans.”

But what would a Fourth of July be without a good dose of All-American capitalism? Herobuilders.com released an Obama/Romney pair of action figures. Press a button on these robot candidates, and they will take swipes and punches until one of their heads pops out. Check out more inventive souvenirs on The Huffington Post slideshow of Fourth of July campaign-themed gag gifts.

 

Read more of Neon Tommy's Fourth of July Coverage.

 

Reach Executive Producer Francesca Martens here; follow her here.