SPRINGFIELD — Minutes after taking the oath of allegiance at a Naturalization Ceremony in the House of Representatives in the Old State Capitol March 4, Alexia Fernanda Morales Cruz admitted she felt “a lot safer now and proud to be an American citizen.”
For Diana Gabriela Noriega Mastarreno, who is originally from Ecuador, it was the challenges of life, growing up, becoming a mother “and forgetting about me a little bit and giving all to my kids.”
They were among the 55 people from 21 countries who took part in the ceremony presided over by U.S. District Judge Colleen Lawless of the Central District of Illinois.
Shig Yasunaga, the clerk of the court, administered the oath by which the newest citizens renounced allegiance and fidelity to any state or sovereignty and pledged to support and defend the Constitution and the laws of the U.S.
After the ceremony, citizens could register with Social Security and to vote with the Illinois Board of Elections.
Morales Cruz left Mexico five-and-a-half years. She had “to learn a lot for this day, but it was worth it in the end, absolutely,” translated by her husband, Angel Salgado.
Noriega Mastarreno, a private tutor now living in Bloomington, said being an American citizen “felt like a dream come true.”
The candidates came from Ghana, Jordan, Malaysia, Morocco and Vietnam, among other countries.
Lawless recognized “for some, the choice (of coming to the U.S.) was an easy one, while for others it might have been one of the most difficult decisions of your life. No matter what your journey was or what choices you had to make to be here, every one of you has made the American Dream a reality by becoming citizens and proudly making our country your new home.”
She also reminded the attendees of the historical significance of the building they were sitting in. It’s where President Abraham Lincoln served as a state legislator and made his famous “House Divided” speech at the Illinois Republican State Convention in 1858 and where former state senator Barack Obama made his announcement in 2007 to run for the U.S. presidency.
“Lincoln believed in the enduring potential of America, of reinventing, rebuilding and becoming stronger through each generation,” Lawless said. “As new citizens, you now carry Lincoln’s vision forward. You bring your talents, your cultures, your perspectives to enrich our nation. You remind us of what America truly is, not a finished project, but an evolving community.”
Lawless encouraged the new citizens to volunteer, to vote and even run for public office.
“Being an American citizen is not just for legal status,” she said. “It is a chance to shape our nation’s future.”
Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788; sspearie@sj-r.com; X, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: ‘A dream come true’: 55 people take oath of allegiance at ceremony
Reporting by Steven Spearie, Springfield State Journal-Register / State Journal-Register
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