Immigrant joy of citizenship is bringing out the best of our country. “I’m filled with pride,” said one newly-naturalized U.S. citizen
For high school teacher Coco Wachli Banks, this July 4 holiday will be one to remember for a lifetime – and not just because of the semiquincentennial celebrations. This year she’s celebrating her first American Independence Day as a U.S. citizen, after Banks – along with 66 other immigrants from nearly 30 countries – was sworn in during a June 26 ceremony in FLORIDA at Miami’s Freedom Tower.
“To commemorate the 250th anniversary of this country, I can’t explain it, but I’m filled with pride,” the French teacher said. “I’m going to be the proudest American when it happens.”
Martha Garcia, a fellow educator hailing from the Dominican Republic, was similarly elated at accomplishing another life-changing goal, WPLG Local 10 reports. The first one was becoming a teacher and helping children develop. “They are definitely the future,” she said. Now she’s accomplishing another goal that is her own to cherish. She said that when she found out her naturalization had been approved, she cried.
“I don’t know why they picked me, but when they told me, I said, ‘Why me? … It’s so unique and I’m so thankful.”
In NEBRASKA, Lincoln Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird told the nearly 40 new citizens at the city’s June 26 ceremony that they are “part of what makes Lincoln so diverse and inclusive,” KOLN 10/11 News reports.
Cintia Robinson, originally from Brazil, said she’s “proud to be an American.” She came to the U.S. as an exchange student while in dental school and ended up meeting her future husband, KOLN 10/11 News reported. He cheered her on from the audience as she became a full American on paper. “I’m proud to be in this country,” she said. “I’m very grateful to be accepted here, coming from Brazil, and becoming an American.”
Raya Al Zuhair, along with her husband and three children, also became a U.S. citizen that day. “Al Zuhair said her family’s journey started six years ago when they moved to Nebraska from Iraq,” Nebraska Public Media reported. Al Zuhair said moving to America has given the family a new sense of belonging. “We can now officially call Lincoln our home,” she said.
Lincoln has enjoyed a population boom in the past few years thanks to immigrants and refugees making the region their new home. “In fact, in 2016, Nebraska resettled more refugees per capita than any other state in the United States,” said the City of Lincoln.
“We are better, safer, stronger, and richer in every sense of the word, because of new Americans like you who join our community and who belong here,” Mayor Gaylor Baird told the audience, “which is why I want to thank all of you for choosing Lincoln and for choosing the United States.”
In fitting with the theme of America’s 250th anniversary, the historic VIRGINIA home of the first American president is set to again host a naturalization ceremony to welcome the nation’s newest citizens. Visitors to George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate will also be able to listen to readings of the Declaration of Independence in order to better understand the “enduring responsibilities of citizenship,” said Douglas Bradburn, museum president. “George Washington understood that the success of the American experiment would depend on an informed and engaged citizenry,” he said.
Last year at Mount Vernon, more than 100 immigrants became U.S. citizens during a ceremony that featured remarks by former California governor and actor Arnold Schwarzenegger. He told new Americans to treasure what they bring to their adoptive country.
“America needs you with your accent, with your memories of your homeland, the hopes and dreams that you have, and your love for freedom and for family,” said Schwarzenegger, who is himself an immigrant and naturalized American of about four decades. “You do not just deserve to be in America. You are needed here.”
HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT
Naturalization Ceremony at Dunkin’ Park Yard Goats Stadium in Hartford, as more than 25 immigrants become U.S. citizens. A beautiful, inspiring event on the ball field. Congratulations!
— Richard Blumenthal (@blumenthal.senate.gov) 2026-06-28T20:43:39.310Z
CLEVELAND, OHIO
Seventy-three people from around the world officially became United States citizens Thursday during a naturalization ceremony inside Severance Hall. The celebration was made even more meaningful as the nation marks its 250th anniversary this coming weekend. More: https://l.cleveland.com/xpwmeb
WESTCHESTER, PENNSYLVANIA
Photos from this Friday’s Naturalization Ceremony, which saw 63 people from 17 countries sworn in as new American citizens. It was held at Founding Forward ahead of the 250th birthday of the United States and was attended by several government officials, including Gov Shapiro.
— West Chester Chronicle (@wcchronicle.bsky.social) 2026-06-29T00:27:41.320Z
CHATANOOGA, TENNESSEE
A naturalization ceremony was held at Erlanger Park on Wednesday.Check out these images by staff photographer Larry Sullivan II:
— Chattanooga Times Free Press (@timesfreepress.bsky.social) 2026-06-25T16:30:13.411Z
VIENNA, VIRGINIA
Congratulations to our newest U.S. citizens! Today is a result of your hard work, perseverance, and dedication. I was honored to celebrate this incredible milestone with you and your loved ones. Thank you to the Town of Vienna for hosting an inspiring naturalization ceremony.
— Rep. James Walkinshaw (@repwalkinshaw.bsky.social) 2026-06-28T00:05:36.442Z
During a time when immigrants like Coco Wachli Banks, Martha Garcia, Cintia Robinson, and Raya Al Zuhair are being scapegoated and “othered,” it’s these same immigrants who in truth are helping to keep the American experiment alive. They’ve worked hard for years to be an American. They’ve left ancestral homes and communities behind to begin anew here. Countless hours have been spent studying for the naturalization exam. Many have spent thousands in legal and paperwork fees. And they’ve followed the rules in order to not risk being able to finally raise their right hand to swear an oath to support and defend the Constitution.
As our nation marks 250 years, our Executive Director @vcardenas.bsky.social reflects on her family's own immigration story, the harm of Trump's immigration agenda, and why immigrants still believe in the promise of this country.americasvoicecnn.substack.com/p/reflecting…
— America's Voice (@americasvoice.bsky.social) 2026-07-02T16:44:44.926Z
“At a time when our own government seems to have abandoned the promise of America, it falls to all of us — immigrant and native-born alike — to recommit to what this country stands for,” as America’s Voice Executive Director Vanessa Cárdenas wrote earlier this week. “The ideas described in the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, the Constitution — may not have been written with us in mind. But what they describe is at the core of what immigrants believe and aspire to.”
“So on the Fourth of July, I will wear my red, white, and blue,” she continued. “I will bring out my flag and display it on my porch with a mix of pain and pride, hope and joy. Pain in knowing that our own government is targeting people like me. Pride in the courage and grit that my family and so many immigrant families demonstrate every single day. Hope that in the end, more of us will choose love over hate. And joy– knowing that at 9:30 pm ET I will be standing with my family and friends eating burgers and hot dogs, watching the fireworks, and recommitting with every fiber of my heart to our national motto: Out of many, one.”
