They came from 59 countries with one goal: U.S. Citizenship
On the eve of Independence Day, 264 men, women, and children ended their immigration journeys and became U.S. citizens. The swearing-in ceremony, held at Faneuil Hall, included immigrants from 59 countries — among them, Albania, Great Britain, Egypt, Bangladesh, Ukraine, and Russia.
Rania Elfekih said it took her five years to arrive at this moment. She immigrated from Tunisia.
“It’s a beautiful country,” Elfekih said. “We have nice weather all year round and all my family’s there.”
Elfekih, a physician, said she’ll miss her home country — but treasures the opportunities the U.S. offers.
“I am a scientist,” she said. “So, for me, the United States is like a land of research and advancement and science.”
Lovely Aktershima is from Bangladesh. She, too, will miss her family back home. But U.S. citizenship means reunification with her husband.
Luis Ruvio came to the U.S. from El Salvador six years ago.
“This was a dream come true for me,” he said — and Ruvio hopes citizenship will increase the chance his daughter will have a good future.
“I know people wait, a very, very long time to become a U.S. citizen,” Ruvio said. “In my case, I got it right on time.”
U.S. Citizenship commonly takes at least a year — with residency requirements and working knowledge of the English language, U.S. history, and civics.
For Beatrice Miwa, becoming a U.S. citizen is going hand-in-hand with her current service in the U.S. Army. Miwa, 23, dreamed of going to college in the U.S. and plans to do so once her military service is over. When she was handed her citizenship certificate Miwa, who is from Brazil, said, “I’m very proud of myself and yeah, it’s like a dream come true.”
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