Young Americans: hundreds become citizens at naturalization ceremonies

“If you look at me can you tell where I’m from?” 

That’s the question Cindy Venegas Mata asks in her TED Talk, “What I am: My Journey as an Immigrant in South Dakota.”

Venega Mata came to the United States at the age of 3. She is now 25 and just became a U.S. citizen.  Her family came to the U.S.  illegally. When she found that out as a young child  she suffered anxiety.

She described her journey to citizenship as a roller coaster.

“I just wanted to fit in,” she said about living in South Dakota,  where she was surrounded by mostly white friends. In 2012 she was approved for the Dream Act, allowing her to live without the worries of being deported. A year later her father was approved for permanent residency, a process that took him 20 years to complete. In 2017 her own residency was approved but she had to return to Mexico to complete it.

She had no ties to Mexico but remained confident while being questioned by officials.

She was fluent in English and answered all the questions asked of her with ease.

However, she was bewildered when her mother’s visa was denied on that trip and hers was put on hold.

“I started to realize that I couldn’t return home,” she said. Everything she had was home in America, including her dogs. It took seven months for her to return back home.

On June 14, Venega Mata was one of 200 people who became new citizens of the United States of America as part of the naturalization ceremony at Mount Rushmore National Memorial.

There were also people like Elizabeth Duke, who came to this country in a wheelchair and walked across the stage to proudly declare herself a new citizen. Some came from refugee camps; others were encouraged by coworkers to begin the long process. Some became citizens along with their entire families, while Olga thanked her son Constantine and her ex-husband Richard for supporting her journey to citizenship.

Martin from the UK jokingly said, “it’s now soccer.”

For some the journey dates back to their childhood, and for others as long ago as 1990.

Kristi Goldinger of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services noted that June 14 was not only Flag Day, but also the birthday of the United States Army. She celebrated these new Americans saying, “You were never required to become a U.S. citizen. You chose us.”

She reminded the new citizens to share their culture, their language and their customs.

“What we do want is for you to share what your dream of what American citizenship is. We want you to live out that dream,” she said.

The new citizens represent 54 countries of origin and join 3.36 million people already living in this country.

District Judge Jeffrey L. Viken, who presided over the session, reminded the new Americans of how difficult this process has been and the pride they should each feel in having gotten to this point. He explained that in his 13 years of the bench he had challenged six of the lawyers below him to pass the test these new citizens had taken and not one could do so. 

Venaga Mata said if it was her choice she would have become an American citizen much sooner. Becoming an American is in the top 10 best moments of her life. And although she was not certain what the first thing she would do would be, her friend Katie suggested having a slice of good old fashioned American apple  pie as a way to celebrate.