KAREN VIBERT-KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette New U.S. citizens recite the Oath of Allegiance. during the naturalization ceremony at the U.S. Middle District courthouse in Williamsport on Friday.

For 34 people who had come to this country from 23 countries, the naturalization ceremony held recently was the culmination of their desire to walk out of the Federal Court in Williamsport as new citizens. It was a time of joy for both the new citizens and their friends and families who witnessed the ceremony, and it was a testament to the determination of people who have emigrated from their homeland, for whatever reason, to find a new home in America.

“Today is a joyful occasion. It’s probably one of the few times that people actually look forward to coming into federal court,” said United States Magistrate Judge Sean A. Camoni, who was sitting in for Chief Judge Matthew W. Brann to administer the oath of allegiance.

“This court is established and governed by the United States Constitution, which protects and preserves the rights of our citizens, and most days in courtrooms like this one, we judges are called upon to make rulings about those rights, and often in criminal cases to restrict those rights. But today is a wonderful day for this court as well as for you all, because today this Court has the opportunity and the great honor to bestow upon you those rights,” he added.

Prospective citizens from the countries of Cameroon, Canada, China, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Germany, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Iran, Italy, Jamaica, Kenya, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Poland, Slovakia, Taiwan, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine and the United Kingdom were represented at the ceremony which took place in front of a standing room only crowd.

“You have all started out, as we can see, on very different roads, but they have all led you here to become citizens of this great nation,” Camoni said.

He shared a recollection from the pandemic when naturalization ceremonies were, at times, held outside with judges in robes and wearing medical masks administering the oath of citizenship to people who would drive up in their cars.

“That’s just a testament to how important days like this are to us, to this court and to this country, and not just to you all. So I want to make sure that you understand how special this is for us as well,” he said.

In order to become a citizen, candidates can spend years waiting for the opportunity to apply and then the application process which includes an interview and both a civics and English test.

Senior Immigration Services Officer Gillian Kosinski was on hand to certify that all the candidates had met the requirements for naturalization.

Following the administration of the oath, Malgorzata Kowalik, who was originally from Poland, but now lives in State College, shared how she had come here in 2011 for just one year, but had extended it for “another year and another year.”

“We came here with two kids, one two years old and another four and a half. They grew up here. We just need to stay here,” Kowalik said.

“This country and Pennsylvania – wonderful,” she added.

Michael Acar, from Turkey, came here with his family as a seven-year-old child.

“My family moved here and then we lived here for about eight years,” Acar explained.

They then moved back to Turkey, where his family still lives.

“I came back about ten years ago and I got a green card and now I’m a citizen,” he said, adding that it feels good.

When asked what he would tell anyone who is contemplating going through the naturalization, Acar said, “you just have to wait. Be patient.”

At the end of the ceremony, Camoni shared some personal reflections.

“When you walked into this courtroom, you were 34 individuals from 23 separate countries. Now, in a very real sense, we are all one people together, citizens of the United States of America,” he said.

“One of my favorite symbols of America is the Statue of Liberty. As a young lawyer, I road a ferry boat to work every morning, and I would pass by Lady Liberty, and every time I caught sight of her, I would think of my Nona, who helped raise me, my great grandmother…She rode on a ship that passed by that island and that statue too, with her parents coming from Italy to start a new life, just as my mother’s great grandmother had, coming from Ireland. If it hadn’t been for their courage, I wouldn’t be here today, and I never would have had the opportunity to ride that ferry to work at a law firm in New York,” he continued.

“Those people, like so many of our ancestors, are family legends. We remember them, some like my Nona, because we grew up with them as a huge part of our lives, some we remember only because of stories and pictures and memories passed down from generation to generation, but we revere their memory, and we hold such gratitude to them for changing the course of our family’s histories. That’s what you are now, whether for your children-present or future, or to those you left behind or joined here, or for yourselves alone, you are the brave soul who ventured out to start a new life in a land of opportunity,” he said.

He told the group of new citizens that America has long been a “beacon of freedom and progress to the world” just as the Statue of Liberty is a beacon.

“This country was conceived as a safe haven to the persecuted and the oppressed. And Lady Liberty holds that light and calls to the world. Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free,” Camoni said.

“Throughout our history, America’s light has burned brighter because of immigrants, so many generations of new Americans bringing new dreams and energy and new life from the old country. What would America be without the vast and colorful tapestry that our diverse and varied backgrounds and cultures have woven? Without the dizzying array of traditions and foods and music and dance and language and literature and prayer and art of all kinds,” he said.

He listed immigrants throughout history that had contributed their talents in science, government, the arts and business.

“Irving Berlin, the man who wrote the song, “God bless America,” emigrated from Russia. Who better to teach us how to sing our gratitude for the land we love than a man who chose it as his home, sweet home,” he said.

“We all should have such gratitude to our country, yes, but also to women and men like you who keep the American Dream alive by living. Despite all of the countless contributions to American life from immigrants, despite the unnumbered immigrants and sons and daughters of immigrants who have served our nation with distinction in military and civil service, and even though the experience of the immigrant is woven into the very DNA of America, there have been throughout our history those who make the world believe that they’re tired and poor are not loving it, that this is no place For the heart of the masses to be free today is no different. There have always been those who claim that immigrants cause harm to communities and act as a trade on our resources, but happily, history has unfailingly proven those naysayers wrong,” he continued.

“Immigration is a boon to our economy and a blessing to our national culture and to those of you who faced such opposition, who heard such negative messages and made your way here anyway, I say good for you, and thank you. Thank you for persevering in the face of opposition. To most of us, America is still the land of opportunity it has always been, because here still lives the promise that the freedoms of speech, of thought, of self determination and government of the people and the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness belong to everyone, equally, regardless of wealth or station, gender or race, faith or lack thereof, or of your national origin If that promise is to persist, it is up to us,” he said.

He encouraged the new citizens to “uphold” their “civic responsibilities” to be informed, to vote and to serve on juries, if called.

“Please serve and pay attention to what is going on around you in local and state government in Washington, DC, because what your elected officials are doing, they are doing in your name now, because you are citizens too. So make your voices heard, and, most importantly, live well, live free,” he said.

Even though the federal government is in the midst of a shutdown, naturalization ceremonies are considered essential services and are still held. The application fees that the potential citizens pay help to fund the salaries of the employees.