[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 185 (Monday, November 13, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1549-E1550]
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

                       Monday, November 13, 2017

  Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure and sincerity 
that I take this time to congratulate thirty individuals who will take 
their oaths of citizenship on Friday, November 17, 2017. This memorable 
occasion 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 November 17, 2017, the following people, representing many 
nations throughout the world, will take their oaths of citizenship in 
Hammond, Indiana: Suzanna Krivulskaya, Krysta Carmella Ma Abuyo Mapoy, 
John

[[Page E1550]]

Mutua Imanene, Saroja Valluru, Slavko Veljanoski, Marija Veljanoska, 
Maher Awwad, Haya Daoud, Maria Diaz, Adriana Garcia, Eva Tanghal 
Hernandez, Feda Ahmad Mattour, Slavica Todoroski, Anna Sijie Xiong, 
Shuhui Grace Yang, Gail Patrich Mendoza de Chavez, Chao Ye, Norma 
Alicia Bautista, Suyapa Rodriguez Handres, Vicar Serrano Valencia, Ivan 
Didier Ros, Soammy Silvia Aguilar, Mira Deven Patel, Maria Guadalupe 
Coria Espino, Connie Withers, Hebah Allan Musleh, Titilayo Folasade 
Aloba, Maureen Wanjiru Papai, Oscar Barajas, and Rosa Nelly Chavez.
   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 November 17, 2017. 
They, too, will be American citizens, guaranteed the inalienable rights 
to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We, as a free and 
democratic nation, congratulate them and welcome them.

                          ____________________