LOS ANGELES: About 80 youngsters, including several Filipino children, were issued US. citizenship during a ceremony in honor of Constitution Day and Citizenship Day on Friday, September 16, at the Mark Taper Auditorium in Los Angeles.
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) gave U.S. citizenship certificates to children and youth ages 9 months to 15 years old, who immigrated from countries including Philippines, Armenia, Bangladesh, Burma, China, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Mexico, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Russia, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Ukraine and Vietnam, reported Inquirer.
“I can get my passport and I can travel,” 12-year-old Gabrielle De Guzman reportedly said upon receiving her citizenship certificate.
The USCIS reportedly indicated that the majority of the children and youths obtained U.S. citizenship through their parents. A few among the 80 received citizenship after being adopted by U.S. citizens.
“It doesn’t require much in terms of speaking in English, it is easy to apply as long as I was a U.S. citizen,” stated Charlie De Guzman of the application for his daughter, Gabrielle. He filed for her last May. “You only need one parent to be a U.S. citizen. I paid $600 and that’s it after a three-months process.”
“After I got mine it was pretty easy,” said Rosemarie B. Navarro, who got a green card and eventually applied for citizenship after being hired by her U.S. employer who was looking for nurses in 2006.”
“Together we are a nation united not by any one culture or ethnicity or ideology, but by the principles of opportunity, equality and liberty,” President Barack Obama was quoted as saying in a USCIS congratulatory video message.
“All of us are here because we want to make sure that our children have an even better life than we did and we are so proud of everything you have achieved,” stated Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti as he congratulated parents who filled the auditorium.
Garcetti mentioned that many more immigrants are eligible to apply for citizenship in Los Angeles.
“There are 150,000 people who are legal permanent residents, who are not yet citizens just in the city of Los Angeles. That is roughly 1 in 11 people you see on the street who are eligible and not yet a citizen,” Garcetti was quoted as saying by Inquirer.
Approximately 33,000 immigrants will become new U.S. citizens during the weeklong fulfillment of ceremonies by USCIS, the report said.
