[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 70 (Tuesday, April 25, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E526]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING NEW CITIZENS

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. PETER J. VISCLOSKY

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 25, 2017

  Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure and sincerity 
that I take this time to congratulate fifteen individuals who took 
their oaths of citizenship on Friday, April 21, 2017. This memorable 
occasion, presided over by Magistrate Judge John E. Martin, 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 April 21, 2017, the following people, representing many nations 
throughout the world, took their oaths of citizenship in Hammond, 
Indiana: Laura Yvette Tirado, Sibu Kudakkachira Mathew, Chiedozie 
Destiny Felix, Ofelia Juarez Hernandez, Servando Leal, Graciella Lopez-
Strambu, Cecilia Mercy Mumbi Muchiri, Uyen Thi Thu Nguyen, Andy Dai 
Nguyen, Nakyung Nikkie Park, Yasmin Rahim, Alicia Ramirez, Hortencia 
Rodriguez, Hun Young Susan Yang, and Bahradine Abderhmane Zakaria.
   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 April 21, 2017. 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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