[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 48 (Thursday, March 12, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E305]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                 CELEBRATING AMERICA'S NEWEST CITIZENS

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. PETER J. VISCLOSKY

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 12, 2020

  Mr. VISCLOSKY. Madam Speaker, it is with great pleasure and sincerity 
that I take this time to congratulate fifty individuals who will take 
their oaths of citizenship on March 13, 2020. 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 March 13, 2020, the following people, representing many nations 
throughout the world, will take their oaths of citizenship in Hammond, 
Indiana: Esmeralda Vega, Ghada Ramadan, Paulette Doreen Shaw, Sara 
Padilla, Javier Garcia, Markus Jaewon Lee, Antonia Martinez, Consuelo 
Murguia de Hernandez, Rocelle Clavero Grabarek, Abier Abdulhak, Ana 
Gligorov, Jovelyn Socobos Manilag, Noemy Alejandra Cotrez Pavon, Maggie 
L. Dobrodt, Ayad Shakir Mahmood Al Mahdawi, Natasha Lynn Rizzotti, 
Zurizadai Luna Williams, Milan Zubic, Rosa Elvira Chacon Guerrero, 
Araceli Flores Santillan, Maha F. Abdulqader, Zainab Usman Sheikh, 
Alexandru Colta, Maria R. Palacios, Chandan Sevanti Sharma, Marlen del 
Rosario Carmona Villodas, Maria Guadalupe Hernandez, Wissel Joseph, 
Martin Diaz, Maria Gonzalez Herrejon, Mauricio Hinojosa, Liliana 
Patricia Ruiz Tenorio, Naila Tauseef Khan, Reyna Canlas Roldan, Oyata 
Monono Mwanza, Kayode S. Shittu, Lorenzo Aleman Escobedo, Hongping Ren, 
Panteleimon Maillis, Martin Miranda, Susana Maria Fernandez, Chante 
Sarah Latrice Rizzotti, Rosa Fernandez, Edgar Maciel, Harry 
Vasilopoulos, Imran Khan, Elsa Patricia Mota, Mika Francine Estacio, 
Nika Markos, and Morella Rivas.
   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 March 13, 2020. 
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.

                          ____________________