[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 162 (Monday, November 14, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1429-E1430]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            RECOGNIZING NORTHWEST INDIANA'S NEWEST CITIZENS

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. PETER J. VISCLOSKY

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, November 14, 2016

  Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure and sincerity 
that I take this time to congratulate thirty individuals who took their 
oath of citizenship on Friday, November 4, 2016. This memorable 
occasion, presided over by Judge Joseph Van Bokkelen, was held at the 
United States Courthouse and Federal Building 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. Oath ceremonies are 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 November 4, 2016, the following people, representing many nations 
throughout the world, took their oaths of citizenship in Hammond, 
Indiana: Jose Luis Pimentel Moreno, Jonathan Pilario, Ruhani Sharma, 
Juan Cabrales Garcia, Ernesto Gonzalez Salinas, Lamine Kamara, 
Marcelina Canales de Garcia, Mariya Thipkoi, Irene Elizabeth Andraus, 
Erika Mercedes Angel, Mishell Janeth Arichavala, Aloncio Antonio 
Arroyo, Izabela Agnieszka Benjeddi, Sergio Calderon, Stepan Famulyak, 
Catalina Gutierrez, Vania Nshuti Kagabo, Aliya Adeena Khan, Hyesung 
Moon Neidlinger, Herminio Padilla, Pinkalbahen Sahil Patel, Khushboo 
Chirag Patel, Maria Rocio, Elisandro Sanchez, Karla Ibeth Sosa, Grace 
Matawaran Stasi, George Strogilos, Erika Vazquez, Alexandra Betty 
Villamar Zapata, and Martin Zuniga.
   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 you and my other distinguished 
colleagues to join me in congratulating these individuals who became 
citizens of the United States of America on November 4, 2016. 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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