Special naturalization ceremony to witness

To the editor:

On Feb. 18, my husband Tim and I were fortunate to be invited to attend a special naturalization ceremony. Svetlana, the wife of my husband’s brother Richard and a fine lady from Ukraine who came to this country in 2002, finally became a U.S. citizen.

A field officer from the U.S. Citizens and Immigration Services (USCIS) Office, directed the program which included the video “Faces of America,” singing the National Anthem, welcoming remarks, a call of countries (there were 43 individuals from 19 countries), the “Oath of Allegiance,” the “Pledge of Allegiance,” a keynote address by an Alaska judge, a video message from President Obama and the presentation of the certificates of citizenship.

“I am proud to be an American,” Svetlana boldly stated.

We are very happy for her. This ceremony was the culmination of years of waiting, studying the U.S. and Alaska governments, paying a $585 application fee and $85 biometrics fee, taking a verbal test and demonstrating her ability to write the English language. As a native-born citizen, I appreciate how difficult this was for her and her fellow applicants and was happy to witness this awesome event. This is a ceremony that every U.S. citizen would enjoy. For those who do not know the “Oath of Allegiance,” it is:

“I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state or sovereignty of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God.”

In our current political environment where people in several countries are today demonstrating and dying for their democratic rights it is good to know how immigrants in this country can work to attain these goals peacefully. It is also reassuring to know that many are still using the legal method to obtain their goals rather than sneaking across the border. My own feeling is that it should be much less expensive and more streamlined. Svetlana had to pay an additional $85 when she applied to be a temporary resident and $85 again when she applied for permanent residency.

As inspiring as it was, I would like to offer a few suggestions to the USCIS to make this ceremony even more powerful. Mainly it lacked organization. Perhaps this was because the number of applicants was large. Perhaps it was because the weather was bad. It would have gone smoother if a USCIS representative had met applicants at the door and checked the accuracy of their certificates. Instead, after all were assembled, applicants were asked to line up to have their certificates checked, then to sit down, then they were called up yet again by one of three individuals for this purpose.

We were all asked to change our seats. Knowing the exact location of the building (with a map) and room number would have made it easier to find. Most of us didn’t know if we were in the right area or not because the USCIS personnel arrived about 30 minutes after we did. The field officer should have used a microphone so we could hear better and the room should have been darkened so we could see the videos better.

Lastly, we all wanted better opportunities for a souvenir photo. Perhaps volunteers from the American Legion, veterans groups or one of the many service groups would be willing to help with this ceremony on a routine basis. This important ceremony could be even more meaningful to the new citizens and their friends and families.

Barbara S. Johnson

Palmer