Several Filipino kids become US citizens in LA ceremony
WATCH: Oath-ta
LOS ANGELES — More than 80 young people including several Filipino children became U.S. citizens during a ceremony in honor of Constitution Day and Citizenship Day on Friday, Sept. 16 at the Mark Taper Auditorium of the Los Angeles Central Library in downtown Los Angeles.
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) gave U.S. citizenship certificates to children and youth ages 9 months to 15 years old, who immigrated from countries including Armenia, Bangladesh, Burma, China, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Mexico, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Philippines, Russia, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Ukraine and Vietnam.
“I can get my passport and I can travel,” said 12-year-old Gabrielle De Guzman upon receiving her citizenship certificate.
Gabrielle and her father, Charlie de Guzman at her citizenship oath-taking. HIYASMIN QUIJANO
The USCIS indicated that the majority of the children and youths obtained U.S. citizenship through their parents. A few among the 80 received citizenship after being adopted by U.S. citizens.
“It doesn’t require much in terms of speaking in English, it is easy to apply as long as I was a U.S. citizen,” stated Charlie De Guzman of the application for his daughter, Gabrielle. He filed for her last May. “You only need one parent to be a U.S. citizen. I paid $600 and that’s it after a three-months process.”
“After I got mine it was pretty easy,” said Rosemarie B. Navarro, who got a green card and eventually applied for citizenship after being hired by her U.S. employer who was looking for nurses in 2006.”
“Together we are a nation united not by any one culture or ethnicity or ideology, but by the principles of opportunity, equality and liberty,” stated President Barack Obama in a USCIS congratulatory video message.
“All of us are here because we want to make sure that our children have an even better life than we did and we are so proud of everything you have achieved,” stated Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti as he congratulated parents who filled the auditorium.
Garcetti mentioned that many more immigrants are eligible to apply for citizenship in Los Angeles.
“There are 350,000 people who are legal permanent residents, who are not yet citizens just in the city of Los Angeles. That is roughly 1 in 11 people you see on the street who are eligible and not yet a citizen,” said Garcetti.
Approximately 33,000 immigrants will become new U.S. citizens during the weeklong fulfillment of ceremonies by USCIS.
