WASHINGTON — U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will commemorate America’s 234th birthday by naturalizing more than 3,800 citizenship candidates in approximately 55 special ceremonies held across the United States and abroad. Nine of these ceremonies are specifically for members of the U.S. armed forces and military spouses. This year’s ceremonies will celebrate the theme, “A Spirit of Independence.”
“Independence Day reminds us all what it means to be an American,” said USCIS Director Alejandro Mayorkas. “Today let us celebrate our newest Americans who, in taking the Oath of Allegiance and becoming United States citizens, will truly cherish this right, and will renew our highest aspirations to be the best that we can be as a nation of immigrants.”
This year, USCIS’s weeklong celebration of citizenship is highlighted by various special events, including a ceremony on July 1 at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pa., where 25 candidates will take the Oath of Allegiance only steps from the location where the Declaration of Independence was adopted in 1776. On July 2, a special ceremony will be held aboard the USS Midway in San Diego, Calif. for approximately 300 military candidates who pledged to protect our nation’s independence even before becoming American citizens.
Special ceremonies will also be held at Ellis Island, N.Y., for approximately 150 candidates; the Seattle Center, Wash., where approximately 500 candidates will participate in Seattle’s 26th Annual Independence Day Naturalization Ceremony; and the John F. Kennedy Space Center near Orlando, Fla. where approximately 100 candidates will become U.S. citizens.
Also during this week’s Independence Day celebrations, more than 500 service members will take the Oath of Allegiance at nine all-military ceremonies, including in Baghdad, Iraq; Seoul, Korea; Frankfurt, Germany; Tegucigalpa, Honduras; Camp Lejeune, N.C.; and Fort Sill, Okla.
For more information on USCIS and its programs, please visit www.uscis.gov or view our blog, The Beacon, available at http://blog.uscis.gov.
To view a complete list of 2010 Independence Day naturalization ceremonies, please visit www.uscis.gov/news.
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