On a picturesque July 4th morning, several hundred people gathered in Northampton, Massachusetts, on the lawn outside the city's historic courthouse for a naturalization ceremony held by the U.S. Citizens and Immigration Service and the Center for New Americans.
Friends, family members — and those who just wanted witness a citizenship ceremony — came to cheer on the 52 men and women from around the world as they received their certificates of naturalization.
For some, the ceremony was the culmination of years of waiting for an appointment with federal immigration officials, meanwhile studying for the U.S. civics exam.
Betsegaw Gillo, born in Ethiopia, was among those who took the oath of allegiance to the U.S., a final step in becoming a naturalized citizen.
Gillo, who lives with his wife outside of Boston, has been in the U.S. for 15 years. He said it took several years of processing his citizenship application to get to this moment.
"I came here when I was young," Gillo said, "I feel more American than Ethiopian. So now it it makes it true that I’m a US citizen."
Also enjoying this momentous occasion was, Mathieu Agode, from Togo, who said he became a citizen 11 years ago.
On this day, he explained, it was his wife's turn.
While being interviewed, he interpreted for her.
English proficiency is required for most applying to become a citizen, but the requirement also depends on how old an applicant is and how many years they've been in the U.S.
“The time I did [mine] she fail her exam," Agode said standing next to his wife Gloria. "So after two or three years we try again for her, and she got it, and that's why she is here today!"
As the ceremony wrapped up, the new citizens were reminded not to laminate their naturalization certificate — and told they can now apply for a U.S. Passport and register to vote.
