Phoenix Arizona

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Welcomes New Citizens at Library Ceremony

Fifty area residents became Arizona’s newest U.S. citizens today during a special ceremony at Burton Barr Central Library, the second naturalization ceremony that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has held at the downtown Phoenix library.

The new citizens hail from 24 countries: Bosnia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Fiji, France, Germany, Grenadines, Hungary, India, Iran, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Somalia and Switzerland.

U.S. District Court Judge Roslyn O. Silver, District of Arizona, administered the Oath of Allegiance during the official court proceedings.

Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard congratulated the new Americans, and Phoenix City Librarian Toni Garvey welcomed the new citizens and encouraged them to take advantage of the library’s services.

The relationship between USCIS and the library goes back to 2005, when Community Liaison Officer Raul Bustamante approached library officials to make them aware of the agency’s new electronic services and the importance of getting information out to individuals who are eligible for immigration benefits. The library, which has been proactive in reaching out to the city’s immigrant community, saw an opportunity to welcome some of the newest citizens while introducing them to the network of city libraries and resources available to them through the library system.

Teens played an important role in today’s ceremony: Members of the Phoenix Public Library Teen Council organized both events to celebrate the positive aspects of the culturally-rich immigrant community. The teen rock band, Tanicus, performed the national anthem and teens from the Phoenix Police Explorers posted the colors.

“Welcoming new citizens is one of the most important things we do as a country,” said Robert Okin, district director of USCIS in Phoenix. “Working with the library, it is wonderful to see the enthusiasm of the teens participating in this event, and to experience the cooperation between USCIS and the city of Phoenix in our common goal of serving the local immigrant community.”

During fiscal year 2005, more than 600,000 new Americans were sworn in as U.S. citizens in ceremonies around the nation. Of those, 6,700 were Arizona residents.

For more information about immigration services, the public should call 1-800-375-5283 or visit uscis.gov.

For information about the library, call 602-262-4636 or visit phoenixpubliclibrary.org.

Oath of Allegiance

“I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation of purpose of evasion; so help me God.”