Ana Luiza S. Soares, a Brazil native, made a promise to “support and defend” the United States when she enlisted in the military.
On Wednesday, after many years, she finally exchanged her permanent resident card for a naturalization certificate.
“Becoming an American citizen is just everything I really wished for,” she said. “America has always been the best place I could choose to be.”
Soares was among the nearly 200 immigrants gathered at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum for the naturalization ceremony Wednesday, joining the hundreds of thousands welcomed into the country this year by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Also in the crowd, waving an American flag, was Luke Kipngetich.
He was born in Kenya. And until the ceremony, his family was one of mixed citizenship.
“I have kids here; my wife is a U.S. citizen,” Kipngetich said. “ I want to stay with my family and be close by, so having [citizenship] means that I don’t have any restrictions to [how] I’ll build my family.”
Nationwide, about 19 million children are living in a mixed-status household, meaning they have at least one noncitizen parent. And Kigngetich’s family was not the only mixed-status one in the room. At the JFK Presidential Library and Museum, U.S. citizen Michael Ruduy and his daughter waited for his wife of 11 years, Ersa, who is originally from Turkey.
Ruduy says she had been delaying the citizenship process, but as the political discourse on immigration changed, they decided it was best to move forward.
“She was happy enough with the green card, but we thought now is the time to really buckle down and get her citizenship, especially given the political environment,” he said.
As the new American citizens began flooding the hallways, Saa da Anthony Sinsh, a passport specialist, greeted them and helped them start the process of obtaining a passport.
Soares’ loved ones embraced her as she soaked in the moment she said she has been praying for all her life.
