[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 1]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 1487]
[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, January 31, 2017

  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 3, 2017. This memorable 
occasion, presided over by Magistrate Judge Paul R. Cherry, 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 3, 2017, the following people, representing many nations 
throughout the world, will take their oaths of citizenship in Hammond, 
Indiana: Maria Alvarado, Maria Angeles Avalos, Martha Patricia Bello, 
Esteban Campos, Grace Carrillo, Erick Chay, Maribel Galicia, Jose 
Dolores Garcia, Jessica Elizabeth Hopkins, Maria Dolores Ibarra, 
Kristina Kiselinova, Brenda Melina Larson, John Richard Latka, Judith 
Love, Ivica Jovan Markovic, Matilde Martinez, Ivan de Jesus Martinez 
Desiderio, Hector Gabriel Martiniez, Janice Uyen Nguyen, Adrian Nunez, 
Blagoja Petkovski, Lidia Esther Guevara Galindo, Yolanda Ramirez, 
Simona Simental, Fellisia Suboh, Jeidi Torres, Jonathan Treto, Luz 
Valdez, Froylan Vega, and Enrique Vilches.
  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 3, 2017. 
They, too, will be 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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