The College of Law hosted a citizenship naturalization ceremony Monday, honoring more than 50 new United States citizens.

Newly naturalized citizens swore their oath of allegiance before Thérèse Wiley Dancks, U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Northern District of New York, in the Melanie Gray Ceremonial Courtroom at Dineen Hall.

Several active-duty military personnel took the oath, wearing uniforms and holding small American flags in their hands. Others held small booklet copies of the U.S. Constitution.

Rep. John Katko (R-Camillus) attended the ceremony on Monday, along with Onondaga County Executive Joanie Mahoney and other local lawmakers.

“Today you become part of something great, the United States of America. And today, America becomes greater and more complete because of you,” Dancks said.

Fifty-one candidates hailing from 32 countries were naturalized on Monday, including 23 soldiers from the U.S. Army stationed at Fort Drum.

Upon taking the oath, the room erupted in applause and candidates were given a standing ovation by family, friends and lawmakers. As the recipients received their certificates, a toddler in the crowd yelled, “Yay!” several times.

Luaipou Tipi, from American Samoa, received applause after her friend yelled, “Woohoo, that’s my best friend!”

The Pledge of Allegiance was read by Private Ibrahima Fall, a newly-naturalized citizen from Senegal.

“I hope that every time, when you stand up to give the Pledge of Allegiance, you put your hand on your heart and you feel it. Because it means something,” Katko said.            

Katko said he was in awe of the soldiers in attendance because they were not citizens when they volunteered to serve in the military, willing to sacrifice their lives for the U.S. He said he was as proud of them as he was of his son, a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army.

“I am really grateful that you did the work,” Mahoney added. “I know how hard it is.”

Katko gave a flag flown over the U.S. Capitol to a randomly-selected, newly naturalized citizen. It was presented to Oscar Baez, of Venezuela.

Dancks, Mahoney and Katko are graduates of SU’s College of Law.

The certificate handed out on Monday does not guarantee the recipient’s ability to travel outside of the U.S., but they are allowed to use it to apply for a passport.

If the recipient has a child who has a green card, the child automatically becomes a citizen, but they do not get the same certificate that their parent does. The parent must file separate paperwork to get the certificate for the child. Certificates cost more than $500 and take about six months to process.

Chol Majok, a representative for New York state Sen. Dave Valesky, said New York is a beautiful state to live in, despite the cold weather that’s so unlike his home country of South Sudan. The crowd laughed. Many of the recipients were from countries in southeast Asia, Africa or the Middle East.

“This place has given us a place to be. A place we can call home,” Majok said.

He said the U.S. is as beautiful as it is because of all the people who do their part. That could be as small as picking up trash or helping homeless people.

Maria Maldonado-Lewis, a representative of Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh, congratulated the newly naturalized citizens and encouraged them to rely on networks of family, friends and their neighbors for support.

Dancks said no longer being allegiant to their former nations does not mean they should forget their culture and histories, and that they should contribute to the “melting pot” in the U.S. by sharing customs with their neighbors. Though many people fear the unknown, through sharing and education, she said people can bring a wealth of knowledge to the country.

“The American story is now your story,” Dancks said. “You are welcome here.”

Published on April 9, 2018 at 8:53 pm

Contact Kennedy: krose100@syr.edu | @KennedyRose001