[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 13]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 18198]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       RECOGNIZING NORTHWEST INDIANA'S NEWLY NATURALIZED CITIZENS

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. PETER J. VISCLOSKY

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, November 16, 2015

  Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure and sincerity 
that I take this time to congratulate thirty individuals who took their 
oath of citizenship on Friday, November 13, 2015. This memorable 
occasion, presided over by Magistrate Judge Paul R. Cherry, was 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 13, 2015, the following people, representing many nations 
throughout the world, took their oaths of citizenship in Hammond, 
Indiana: Lenka Krstevska, Bertha Esthela Corral, David Tugba Tom, Raul 
Alonso Moreno Gonzalez, David Alarcon Hernandez, Yulia Yurevna Abair, 
Serena Taisir Ibrahim, Donna Ruth Ajayi, Hayet Adjerid, Celestino 
Olivares Manzo, Mijoon Lee, Thuy Thi Hong Le, Ezekiel Attah, Catherine 
Marjorie Charles, Francisco Alonso, Astrid Mariela Arnold, Chao Jung 
Chou, Maria Rosario Franco, Nancy Fuentes, Mayra Nancy Martinez, Jeff 
Nguefack Mbeleke, Maria Clemencia Mireles, Duncan Kanyi Nganga, Agnes 
Hop Nguyen, Veronica Giovana Perez, Mario Renteria, Oscar Martinez 
Ruiz, Yareli Sandoval, Perla Villanueva, and Dilcia Victoria Young.
  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 became 
citizens of the United States of America on November 13, 2015. They, 
too, are American citizens, and they, too, are 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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