[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 171 (Tuesday, October 29, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1364]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




CONGRATULATING INDIANA'S FIRST CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT'S NEWEST CITIZENS

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                        HON. PETER J. VISCLOSKY

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 29, 2019

  Mr. VISCLOSKY. Madam 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 November 1, 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 November 1, 2019, the following people, representing many nations 
throughout the world, will take their oaths of citizenship in Hammond, 
Indiana: Vilma Aguilar, Ekaterina Shouldice, Ana Maria Bowie, Rosa 
Martha Perez Elizalde, Meguila Sesante Alvarez, Damilare Mustapha 
Jimoh, Felipe Briseno, Ivonett Alejandra Suarez, Alfredo H. Luna, 
Zarish Raza, Elena Alexandrovna Burtseva, Ivonne Cecilia Rocha, Connor 
MacDonald McCoy, Elena Ancevski, Francine Ingabire, Ahmad Haisam 
Zarzour, Alexander Donghui Lee, Maria Asuncion Mansilla, Nyamar Chan 
Nhial, Arnulfo Loera, Vincent Balinda, Zulema Lissette Lee, Paul Edward 
Nyongani, Robenson Petit Bien, and Payal Dilipbhai Patel.
   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 November 1, 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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