Washington: As impeachment hearings play out in Washington, high-level officials, many of them immigrants or children of immigrants, who have testified before the Congress are being forced to defend their loyalty to the United States (US).

Ukrainian-born Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman, a National Security Council expert, rebuffed attacks by proudly stating at the proceedings, "The uniform I wear today is that of the United States Army." Like many of his peers who have testified, he embodies the "American Dream," as an immigrant who rose to the top.