[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 159 (Friday, October 4, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1255]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         CONGRATULATING AND WELCOMING AMERICA'S NEWEST CITIZENS

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. PETER J. VISCLOSKY

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 4, 2019

  Mr. VISCLOSKY. Madam 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 October 4, 2019. 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. 4, 2019, the following people, representing many nations 
throughout the world, will take their oaths of citizenship in Hammond, 
Indiana: Shania Shamar Perry, Johan Jacques Taljaard, Cirilo Favela, 
Claude Mihai Butnaru, Qays Jinan Matti Karo, Gabriela Hernandez, Steven 
Esat Karagoz, Armando Wu, Ravindra Babu Bhogadula, Maria Mhango, 
Argelia Cristina Fagre-Rivas, Ljube Shurdoski, Indiana Jankowski, 
Fernando Hernandez, Juan Nieto, Irma Ruiz, Jessica Tirado Ochoa, Sirak 
Kifle Negash, Sarah Hughes, Urmil Raj Kashyap, Guoyun Liu, Mihaela 
Roxana Layman, Ana G. Dunnett, Santiago Loera, Sonia Menchaca, Julieta 
Grino Pingol, Lucy Wambui Kiruki, Margaret Matilda Brewster, Idalia 
Patricia Ramirez, and Mehulkumar Soni.
  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.
  Madam 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 4, 2019. 
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.

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