USCIS to Welcome More Than 20,000 New Citizens During Citizenship Day Celebrations

Release Date: 09/17/04 00:00:00

For Immediate Release

Office of the Press Secretary

Contact USCIS Public Affairs: 202-353-8472

September 17, 2004

More than 20,000 men, women and children from throughout the United States will raise their right hands and become America's newest citizens during special Citizenship Day ceremonies throughout the nation (see below). U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will commemorate Citizenship Day and kick-off the celebration of Constitution Week in communities across the United States.

“Each year, the President issues a proclamation asking Americans, both native born and naturalized, to pause on September 17th and rededicate ourselves to our country and to the principles upon which it was founded,” said USCIS Director Eduardo Aguirre. “I can think of no more fitting way to do that than during a naturalization ceremony where we’ll weave our newest citizens into the American tapestry.”

Today, Director Aguirre administered the Oath of Allegiance to 102 new U.S. citizens, from 44 different countries around the world, on the historical Ellis Island in New York City. Each year, USCIS welcomes more than 450,000 new citizens during naturalization ceremonies across the country. That number includes more than 8,000 service members who have naturalized through an expedited process stemming from their involvement in the war on terrorism.

The 102 new Americans naturalized on Ellis Island, including two U.S. Army soldiers, are originally from the following 44 countries: Albania, Antigua, Argentina, Bangladesh, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, France, Ghana, Greece, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Lebanon, Mali, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russia, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Trinidad & Tobago, Ukraine, United Kingdom.

(Media wishing to downlink video from the citizenship ceremony on Ellis Island on September 17th, may use the following coordinates: IA (formerly known as Telstar 6), transponder 24 C-Band; downlink frequency is 4180 horizontal. The satellite feed will be available from 2:00 PM Eastern Time to 3:00 PM Eastern Time.) Press can see a list of local Media Advisories related to these events.

Beginning October 1, 2004, USCIS will be holding military naturalization ceremonies overseas. Since July 3, 2002, more than 18,000 military personnel have applied for U.S. citizenship. More than 8,000 have been sworn-in as new Americans to date.

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Visit the USCIS Web site for more information on these events.

This page was last modified on 09/17/04 00:00:00