[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 14168-14169]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            RECOGNIZING NORTHWEST INDIANA'S NEWEST CITIZENS

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. PETER J. VISCLOSKY

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, November 14, 2016

  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 4, 2016. This memorable 
occasion, presided over by Judge Joseph Van Bokkelen, 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 4, 2016, the following people, representing many nations 
throughout the world, took their oaths of citizenship in Hammond, 
Indiana: Jose Luis Pimentel Moreno, Jonathan Pilario, Ruhani Sharma, 
Juan Cabrales Garcia, Ernesto Gonzalez Salinas, Lamine Kamara, 
Marcelina Canales de Garcia, Mariya Thipkoi, Irene Elizabeth Andraus, 
Erika Mercedes Angel, Mishell Janeth Arichavala, Aloncio Antonio 
Arroyo, Izabela Agnieszka Benjeddi, Sergio Calderon, Stepan Famulyak, 
Catalina Gutierrez, Vania Nshuti Kagabo, Aliya Adeena Khan, Hyesung 
Moon Neidlinger, Herminio Padilla, Pinkalbahen Sahil Patel, Khushboo 
Chirag Patel, Maria Rocio, Elisandro Sanchez, Karla Ibeth Sosa, Grace 
Matawaran Stasi, George Strogilos, Erika Vazquez, Alexandra Betty 
Villamar Zapata, and Martin Zuniga.
  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

[[Page 14169]]

November 4, 2016. 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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