[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 1]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 1133]
[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

                       Tuesday, February 2, 2016

  Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure and sincerity 
that I take this time to congratulate thirty individuals who will take 
their oath of citizenship on Friday, February 5, 2016. This memorable 
occasion, which will be presided over by Magistrate Judge John E. 
Martin, 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 February 5, 2016, the following people, representing many nations 
throughout the world, will take their oaths of citizenship in Hammond, 
Indiana: Gemma Ramos Laberge, Araceli Ambriz, Ozkan Akkaya, Syed 
Muhammad Shan Ul Islam, Fernando Romo Vera, Patricia Caroline Njoki 
Singleton, Clifton Seaford Wade, Aldar Odin Escamilla Velasco, Nastaran 
Saramaghan, Milad Sohrab, Ali Abdelkadre Mahamat, Julio Cesar Carmona, 
Sylvia Iliff, Miriam Muthoni Kirori, Henry Irungu Kirori, Abayomi 
Eyitayo Oloyede, Ivete Baldo Wahlen, Annamaria Mittiga, Ljupcho 
Todoroski, Monica Cordeiro Ramey, Juan Manuel Almonte, KB Chhoeun, 
Chunlan Jin Chung, Lucila Diaz, Auribel Mileddy Lester Perez, Yue Min 
Li, Omkalthoum Hassan Muhamat, Sunisa Phongpichit-Alexander, Aqeela 
Yasmin Sheikh, and Sergey Gennadyvich Shylin.
  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 February 5, 2016. 
They, too, will be American citizens, and they, too, will be 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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