SAN ANTONIO – America now has more than 1,000 new citizens from up to 84 countries. So many took the Oath of Allegiance that two ceremonies were staged Thursday at the Edgewood Theatre of Performing Arts.
“It’s very important for me. It’s like being born again in a new country,” said Cecilia Macouzet, a new citizen from Mexico who has lived in the U.S. for 16 years.
That sentiment was echoed by Veronica Evans from Chile.
“It’s the most important moment in my life to be a U.S. citizen," Evans said.
“It’s just that you have more opportunities,” said Regina Washington, a new citizen from Germany.
However, there was a bit of irony for Zanaib Ali from Iraq.
“My sister, she won’t be coming to see me here. She can’t,” Ali said.
Despite President Trump’s original travel ban affecting Ali’s family, she still swore allegiance to the United States. Her husband, Mohammed, said although his wife is proud to be a citizen, she’s not happy with the president’s ban.
“It’s not fair,” he said. “I know the president likes to keep the U.S. safe, but no terrorists came from Iraq or Syria.”
Cecilia Macouzet‘s husband, Ricardo Arriaga, said he, like other immigrants, contributed to the American economy even before he became a citizen with his wife on Thursday.
“A U.S. company came to Mexico and they hired me because they couldn’t find engineers. They needed help,” Arriaga said.
In response to the increasingly strained relations between his homeland and his adopted country, Arriaga said, “Hopefully, this will go back to being the America that we all know it is, the values, the principles and what has made this country great.”
“The U.S. is still a beacon of hope, I think, for the entire world," said Leon Stubbs, a new citizen from the Bahamas.
Maria Contreras, from Mexico, said she was overjoyed but still worries about the undocumented immigrants who fear being deported under President Trump.
Contreras said people should apply for citizenship if they can. However, she said it’s a costly process but well worth the sacrifice.
A spokeswoman for the San Antonio district office of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said the fees for the application and the required biometrics alone cost $810.
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