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‘What Matters Most to Me Is To Be Active’: More than 17,000 New U.S. Citizens Welcomed As Part of Constitution Week 2024

by Gabe Ortiz on

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Welcome, Margarita Añaya de Luna. Welcome, Jose Rodriguez. Welcome, Pushparanee Shanthalingam.

They’re among the thousands of immigrant permanent residents who have been sworn in as new U.S. citizens as part of Constitution Week, which began on September 17. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said the agency expects to welcome more than 17,000 new citizens through September 23, and their stories are as diverse as the nation to which they proudly raised their right hand and swore their allegiance.

In Washington, Añaya de Luna became a citizen at the age of 94, Northwest Public Broadcasting reported. “She said that she looks forward to voting for the first time in this year’s election.” Jose Rodriguez, also an immigrant from Mexico, has become a full American on paper after living in the U.S. for more than 50 years. He credited the help of Wenatchee-based nonprofit Hand In Hand Immigration Services, which helps eligible community members with the sometimes arduous naturalization process.

“I have more rights now,” Rodriguez told Northwest Public Broadcasting. “What matters most to me is to be active in the election, and I will vote for who I want to be president. I will not have someone to choose for me.” In her social media post marking Citizenship Day, which is celebrated on the first day of Constitution Week, Rep. Marilyn Strickland (D-WA) said that as “the daughter of an immigrant mother, I understand just how meaningful gaining citizenship is.” Florida:

In Wisconsin, more than two dozen immigrants were sworn in as U.S. citizens at a ceremony at the Robert W. Kastenmeier U.S. Courthouse in Madison, WKOW reports. Efrat Livny, Open Doors for Refugees cofounder, said they were “becoming citizens at a very, very, very important time for our country.” 

“We have a challenging election ahead, and you will have the privilege and the responsibility to participate in the most important democratic role which is voting,” Livny said. “I hope when you leave here, you will know that is something you need to do.” Watch a clip of the ceremony below:

 

In New York, Fire Island hosted a historic naturalization ceremony where 70 immigrants from nearly 30 nations became U.S. citizens, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported. “For the first time in history, Fire Island National Seashore played host to a naturalization ceremony held on Sept. 11, marking a dual commemoration of the Seashore’s 60th anniversary and the solemn remembrance of the Sept. 11 attacks.”

“It is particularly fitting that these immigrants become Americans on a day on which we commemorate how many of our fellow citizens, who loved this Nation and the values we stand for, sacrificed their lives in service of others on Sept. 11,” Second Circuit Judge Joseph Bianco, who presided over the ceremony and was one of more than a dozen judges to attend the event, told the audience. “I am deeply honored to be a part of this special ceremony with my fellow judges.”

In New Hampshire, Pushparanee Shanthalingam said she studied for three months for her naturalization exam, Daily Hampshire Gazette reported. “A retired psychiatric counselor, ‘Pushpa,’ as she is known, had already been celebrating with neighbors and colleagues and has made many friends since coming to town, with her daughter observing that ‘people enjoy talking to her.’” Pushpa, who is originally from Sri Lanka, was one of nearly 50 immigrants to become U.S. citizens in a ceremony hosted at the Munson Memorial Library in Amherst. 

Massachusetts:

Utah:

Washington, D.C.:

In a series of social media posts, USCIS shared that President Truman signed the proclamation establishing Citizenship Day to celebrate new Americans and commemorate the signing of the U.S. Constitution. “At a citizenship ceremony near the Washington Monument on Sept. 17, 1952, President Truman said to a group of newly naturalized citizens: ‘The success of free government depends upon the willingness of the citizen to participate in it, to contribute to it, & to sacrifice for it.’”

It’s a message that new Americans have continued to hold in their hearts in the decades since. In Ohio, Cambodian immigrant Krishna Han recently became a U.S. citizen. He told PBS News that he was “raised to value the importance of civically and politically engaged citizenship.” He said that his first action after becoming a U.S. citizen was to register to vote. Then he bought a grill. 

“I wanted one that was big,” he said. “I came home and hung both Cambodian and American flags side-by-side to start a new journey as a Cambodian American.”

As America’s Voice said on Citizenship Day, an inextricable part of American history is immigration. “Welcoming newcomers from all over the world into our communities is a defining characteristic of this nation. Few – if any – nations have the distinction of being known as ‘a nation of immigrants.’” Millions of immigrants, with their spirit of entrepreneurship and hopes, carry out essential work that sustains us and keeps our economy going strong – and we are a better and more prosperous nation because of them.

“Becoming a U.S. citizen more than 20 years ago was a profound honor for me and my family,” said America’s Voice Campaigns Manager Mario Carrillo. “Like millions of families before us, my parents came to this country so that their children could have a better life and to contribute to the vibrant tapestry of the U.S. I’ll never forget being able to register to vote and having a say in the future of our country. It’s a responsibility that I don’t take for granted.” America’s Voice congratulates our nation’s newest citizens!

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