Oakland County
Oakland County hosts citizenship ceremony
Surinderjit Kaur has lived in Oakland County for a minimum of 20 years. On Wednesday, the 80-year-old Bloomfield Hills resident joined 25 different immigrants in taking an oath of allegiance to develop into a U.S. citizen.
They represented many various cultures and got here from 17 international locations: Australia, Canada, China, Ivory Coast, Czech Republic, Egypt, Greece, India, Iraq, Lithuania, Mexico, Peru, Philippines, South Korea, Syria, Tunisia and Ukraine.
After Kaur’s son and his household moved to Michigan a long time in the past, she and her husband sought long-term visas. They utilized for citizenship, however their utility lapsed throughout a sequence of occasions, together with the COVID-19 pandemic and her husband’s sickness and demise. In 2013 she obtained her everlasting residence allow, also referred to as a inexperienced card.
Kaur reapplied for citizenship and was excited when she realized she would take the oath of allegiance throughout a ceremony Wednesday on the Oakland County Worldwide Airport. She arrived together with her daughter-in-law, Jasmeet Sidhu, who grew to become a citizen earlier this yr. Sidhu mentioned taking the oath gave her a way of reduction. The household got here from the state of Punjab in northern India.
Jishn Patel got here to Michigan from the state of Gujarat on India’s west coast to check at Wayne State College, the place he earned a grasp’s diploma in mechanical engineering. Basic Motors employed him to work on electrical automobiles.
It took the 34-year-old Rochester Hills man greater than seven years to acquire citizenship, he mentioned, after years of utilizing training or work visas to remain within the U.S. It’s a expensive and prolonged course of, he mentioned.
“I believe I used to be fortunate,” he mentioned, including that his citizenship was authorised the primary time he utilized. He attended the ceremony along with his spouse, their daughter and his mom.
As for folks coming to the U.S. with out papers, he mentioned, “come legally, even when you do not have a level, there are a number of methods you’ll be able to enter the nation. Typically you need to look forward to it, however you’ll undoubtedly get the chance.”
County Commissioner William Miller of Farmington mentioned he attends the citizenship ceremony yearly. He reminded attendees that Oakland County helps variety and inclusion.
“It’s the foundation for progress and our biggest power,” he mentioned. “Could at the present time mark not solely the start of your citizenship, but additionally a lifelong partnership to assist our group proceed to thrive… Welcome dwelling.”
Deputy District Administrator Madiha Tariq informed the group that lower than 12 years earlier, she was ready to take her oath of allegiance and trade her inexperienced card for a certificates of citizenship. Tariq was 16 when she got here to the U.S. from Pakistan after being accepted into an instructional honors program. She was a university graduate and a younger mom when she grew to become a U.S. citizen. In a full-circle second, her daughter, Zara Peterson, sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” as a part of the ceremony.
Tears welled up in Tariq’s eyes. She mentioned her 16-year-old self, who arrived at New York Metropolis’s JFK airport feeling misplaced and confused, couldn’t have imagined a future as a public coverage chief.
County Govt Dave Coulter mentioned an estimated 14,000 immigrants dwelling in Michigan obtained citizenship prior to now yr and emphasised the significance of the county’s 1.3 million residents studying to work collectively.
“Being an American means being concerned. It means talking out towards injustice. It means marching if you assume one thing shouldn’t be going proper… Now we have declared that this can be a democracy and everybody has equal rights, however there are occasions in our historical past when that has not been true… We’re an experiment and we’re getting higher on daily basis.”
To the brand new Individuals in his viewers Wednesday, he promised “the sky is the restrict.”
Stephanie Capuzzi, supervisor for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Detroit The Troy subject workplace mentioned the brand new residents are united with the remainder of the nation “in a shared religion and promise of a greater future.”
She led them in reciting the Oath of Allegiance, which requires new residents to desert their allegiance and allegiance to any international prince, potentate, state or sovereignty and pledge to totally help and defend the U.S. Structure. The complete oath is obtainable on-line at
https://www.uscis.gov/citizenship/learn-about-citizenship/the-naturalization-interview-and-test/naturalization-oath-of-allegiance-to-the-united-states-of-america
After posing for group pictures and waving small American flags, Jasmeet Sidhu mentioned she hopes folks will assume twice earlier than accusing strangers who look totally different or communicate with an accent of being undocumented immigrants.
Commissioner Miller mentioned folks ought to ask questions earlier than making assumptions and study to just accept others’ variations as a result of they enrich our lives.
“If everybody was the identical, we might be boring,” he mentioned. Amongst his prized possessions are: immigration papers from his great-great uncle, a welder, who got here to the U.S. from England about 100 years in the past.
Jishn Patel mentioned he hopes extra folks born within the U.S. journey the world as a result of it is a great way to get to know different cultures and other people.
Coulter informed The Oakland Press that it is necessary for everybody within the nation “to grasp this complete immigration situation. For folks like this, who’re passionate, law-abiding, good individuals who simply wish to be a part of this nation — that is the one purpose why Michigan and Oakland County have grown in recent times.”
“If we wish to proceed to develop, it is very important welcome and encourage folks like these 25,” he mentioned.
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