[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 8728]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING NEW CITIZENS

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. PETER J. VISCLOSKY

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 6, 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 oaths of citizenship on Friday, June 9, 2017. This memorable 
occasion, 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 June 9, 2017, the following people, representing many nations 
throughout the world, will take their oaths of citizenship in Hammond, 
Indiana: Fabian Alejandro Gonzalez Franco, Muralidhar Ganji, Qiang Xu, 
Gustavo Quijada Vega, Alan John McDonald, Marco Antonio Gonzalez 
Jimenez, Krysta Carmella Ma Abuyo Mapoy, Miao Cai, Blagica Bujaroska, 
Penina Kagwiria Imanene, Gaulo Amezcua Luna, Marvin Antonio Sandoval, 
Dolores Eumelia Romero, Paula Phan Duong, Juan Diego Salgado, Hang 
Trung Dinh, Noe Joel Salazar, Ahmed Abed Kanaan, Vicar Serrano 
Valencia, Thales Felipe Neves Pontes, Mara Carolina Stibitz, Smruti 
Prabodhchandra Damania, Tatiana Carolina Zambrano Marin, Ishvarbhai 
Venabhai Patel, Pascual Lopez Rocha, Laura Ivonne Carmona Garcia, Liz 
Yessica Relinski, Yongtao Zhang, Maryrose Sachiko Moore, and Apollo Raj 
Velummylum.
  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 June 9, 2017. 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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