[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 108 (Wednesday, July 6, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1048]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              RECOGNIZING NORTHWEST INDIANA'S NEW CITIZENS

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. PETER J. VISCLOSKY

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 6, 2016

  Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure and sincerity 
that I take this time to congratulate the individuals who took their 
oath of citizenship on July 4, 2016. In true patriotic fashion, on the 
day of our great Nation's celebration of independence, a naturalization 
ceremony took place, welcoming new citizens of the United States of 
America. This memorable occasion, coordinated by the League of Women 
Voters of the Calumet Area and presided over by Magistrate Judge Andrew 
Rodovich, was held at The Pavilion at Wolf Lake in Hammond, Indiana.
   America is a country founded by immigrants. From its beginning, 
settlers have come from countries around the world to the United States 
in search of better lives for their families. The oath ceremony was a 
shining example of what is so great about the United States of 
America--that people from all over the world can come together and 
unite as members of a free, democratic nation. These individuals 
realize that nowhere else in the world offers a better opportunity for 
success than here in America.
   On July 4, 2016, the following people, representing many nations 
throughout the world, took their oaths of citizenship in Hammond, 
Indiana: Robert Ian Macmahon, Francisco Javier Coronado Longoria, Ann 
Zeno, Eiman Faiz Hamoudeh, Bolanle Olusanya, Frank Ajisafe Olusanya, 
Manal Hany Mamdoh Altahan, Dhaisy Borgonia Sniadecki, Juan Villegas 
Macias, Samer Bedaywi, Ami Jageshkumar Patel, Jageshkumar Kirtikumar 
Patel, Himali Jageshkumar Patel, Susan Wambui Njoroge, Swati 
Virendrakumar Gupta, Aimee Sebastian Dela Cruz, Joewil Dacuycuy, Jose 
Antonio Aguado, Naba Al Ammarei, Juan Alcantar, Teresa Arroyo, Kevin 
Yue Chen, Marco Coria, Ariadna Margie Corral, Martin Antonio Da Costa, 
Cristal Garcia, Marta Maria Ghunaim, Luz Del Carmen Hernandez-Valdez, 
Nisrein Abdel Alhakam Odeh Issa, Sondos Abdel-Hakam Odeh Issa, Nejma 
Abed Alhakam Odeh Issa, Kevin Joonghoon Koh, Yechan Lim, Manuel 
Salvador Loza, Joaquin Martinez, Maria Claudia Mijes-Escamilla, Diana 
Eloisa Nemshick, Triet Sy Thanh Nguyen-Beck, Michael Ssemwanga Njucki, 
Ericka Elizabeth Ogaldez, Laura Ruiz, Arnold Alvin Sey, Jean Paul 
Shumbusho, Leticia Sosa, Alfonso Soto Jr., Natalia Torrenga, Linh 
Truong, Nadia Maria Tudorache, Yesica Yaneth Villasenor, Noel Rodriguez 
Villavicencio Jr., and Mohamed Masoud Youseff.
   Although each individual has sought to become a citizen of the 
United States for his or her own reasons, be it for education, 
occupation, or to offer their loved ones better lives, each is inspired 
by the fact that the United States of America is, as Abraham Lincoln 
described it, a country ``. . . of the people, by the people, and for 
the people.'' They realize that the United States is truly a free 
nation. By seeking American citizenship, they have made the decision 
that they want to live in a place where, as guaranteed by the First 
Amendment of the Constitution, they can practice religion as they 
choose, speak their minds without fear of punishment, and assemble in 
peaceful protest should they choose to do so.
   Mr. Speaker, I respectfully ask that you and my other distinguished 
colleagues join me in congratulating these individuals, who became 
citizens of the United States of America on July 4, 2016, the 
anniversary of our Nation's independence. They, too, are American 
citizens, and they, too, are guaranteed the inalienable rights to life, 
liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We, as a free and democratic 
nation, congratulate them and welcome them.

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