[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 39 (Tuesday, March 7, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E281-E282]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       RECOGNIZING NORTHWEST INDIANA'S NEWLY NATURALIZED CITIZENS

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. PETER J. VISCLOSKY

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, March 7, 2017

  Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure and sincerity 
that I take this time to congratulate twenty-five individuals who will 
take their oaths of citizenship on Friday, March 10, 2017. This 
memorable occasion, presided over by Judge Philip P. Simon, will be 
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 March 10, 2017, the following people, representing many nations 
throughout the world, will take their oaths of citizenship in Hammond, 
Indiana: Arturo Abel Diaz Pena, Lakshmi Sowmya Koppineedi, Abel Ruiz 
Romero, Pierre Remon Halteh, Dayanara Calix, Vanessa Yalen Cardenas, 
Carlos Alberto Uribe Schiaffino, Mohammad Abdelqader, Anna Broda-
Stephens, Alicia Castaneda, Amilcar Chavez, Lupita Cortes, Nancy 
Nasilele Imasiku, Paulina Landeros Salazar, Mi Young Youn, Jay 
Joohyoung Lee, Xinyu Kevin Liu, Roberto Martinez, Ishaq Mohammed, Mercy 
Dickson Mtika-Nyirenda, Maria Pacheco, Antonia Roman, Luis Alberto 
Salas, Maria de Lourdes Sanchez de Flores, and Jacob James Yang.
   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 will 
become citizens of the United States of America on March 10, 2017. 
They, too, will be 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.

[[Page E282]]

  

                          ____________________