[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 170 (Friday, October 12, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1391]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                   OATH CEREMONY ON OCTOBER 12, 2018

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. PETER J. VISCLOSKY

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 12, 2018

  Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure and sincerity 
that I take this time to congratulate thirty-one individuals who will 
take their oaths of citizenship on October 12, 2018. 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 October 12, 2018, the following people, representing many nations 
throughout the world, will take their oaths of citizenship in Hammond, 
Indiana: Wafa M. Shahin, Maher S. Isleem, Noor M. Isleem, Daniela 
Ivette Ponce, David Seo, Marianne Bushra Abdelmalak, Joana Maritza 
Grose, Monica Ying Williams, Atanacio Serrano, Charity Gross, Beatriz 
Cervantes, Esther Maria Arellano, Cedrick Dizala Mukinay, Wassim 
Shwaiki, Maria Flores De Leon, Evelin Yamilet Sanchez, Liza Safwat 
Assad, Miguel Angel Lima, Carmen Marquez, Thelma Alvarez Portney, Vic 
Dey, Audrey Harriette Gilbertsen, Manar Haddad, Alberto Lopez, Shirley 
Oduro-Nkansah, Hadja Fatimah Ouattara, Susana Rodriguez Perez, Kim 
Hoang Pham, Maria Guadalupe Rodriguez, Ramon Sandoval Jr., and Adriana 
Figueroa Trejo.
  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 October 12, 2018. 
They, too, are 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.

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