Nearly 1,000 immigrants sworn in as new citizens at County Coliseum
U.S. District Judge David Guaderrama presided over the naturalization ceremony of nearly a thousand immigrants from 47 different countries.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services welcomed the 975 immigrants as the newest citizens of the United States at the El Paso County Coliseum. The 25 immigrants that were absent from the ceremony will be rescheduled in the near future.
The ceremony was held Wednesday, July 11, at 10 a.m at 4100 E. Paisano, where Deportation Officer Cesar De La Rosa will sing the National Anthem.
Foreign nationals must go through the naturalization process, that contains requirements established by Congress. After fulfilling the requirements, citizenship is granted. Foreign born citizens will then obtain the same responsibilities, rights, and benefits that the U.S. Constitution gives to native-born U.S. citizens.
More than 716,000 people were naturalized around the world during fiscal year 2017. The El Paso field office naturalized more than 5,948 people.
Enrique Barrios Lopez, born in Juarez, Mexico, said he didn’t agree with Trump’s immigration policies, specifically separating children from their parents. “That’s the biggest thing that I think we all, as the new citizens, that we have a duty to our county. That if we don’t like a policy, in this case, president Trump’s policy of separating families, you know, that’s not America, that’s not the decency that I think our forefathers founded this country upon. So I don’t agree with his policies,” he said.
Barrios Lopez agrees immigrants should come to this country the legal way. “I think laws are laws and there is a process of doing things,” he said, “I do agree that coming in through the ports of entries as opposed to other routes, is the right way.”
Alfredo Tribulsi has mixed emotions on President Trump’s Immigration Policy. “It might take longer now because of his policies, and I do agree with people coming over the right way. I actually do not agree with the way (Trump’s) doing it. I believe he’s right with the issue of the violence, and the criminals that cross illegally, I just don’t agree with the way he’s acting with regular, every-day people who are not criminals. And I do not agree with him separating the families,” Tribulsi said.
Members of the Military were also sworn in as United States Citizens today. One, Private First Class Andrea Gibaja, from Peru, said she is happy to be a citizen. “I was really grateful with this country, and I said I need to do something really good. I joined the military as a way to say thank you to America.” Gibaja said.
Richadean Nowlin states she is happy to be a United States Citizen but doesn’t think its right to discharge immigrants in the military. “I think its totally unfair because for anyone to serve the United States, that’s a huge sacrifice that we put in,” he said.
Other newly-sworn United States Citizens say that even though the process is harder with President Trump’s Immigration Policy, they still feel its possible to become a citizen.
The oldest person to be sworn in during the ceremony was a 90-year-old man from Mexico and the youngest was an 18-year-old man from China.
