'We love it here in America': US welcomes 21 new citizens at naturalization ceremony
PLATTSBURGH — For Justices Glenn Suddaby and Gary Favreau, nothing is more exciting than presiding over a naturalization ceremony.
'Most of the time, people are on at least one side of a conflict or case (and) somebody's going out of our courtrooms unhappy,' Suddaby, a member of SUNY Plattsburgh's Class of 1980 and U.S. district judge of the Northern District of New York, said at Friday's ceremony at his alma mater.
'I like to tell people there's only two occasions where I preside and I know people are happy: those are weddings and naturalization ceremonies. and the weddings, there's no guarantees, but the fact that you become a citizen of this country, I think, brings pleasure for the rest of your life.'
Twenty-one people from 12 different countries got a taste of that feeling Friday when they were sworn in as United States citizens in front of their friends and family in SUNY Plattsburgh's Krinovitz Recital Hall.
Mireille Satheu, originally from Cameroon in Africa, was one of them. She was beaming with joy after the ceremony was over.
'I just feel like I will have … more opportunity for the future,' Satheu said about coming to the United States.
'I came to America in November 2019. I've been here with my kids and husband, and we are just doing some few jobs for the moment, and I think that maybe in the future, I can have something much better. Right here is really good, really good. It is a big difference between my country and America, so I'm really happy.'
'So, so, so happy,' she said about becoming a citizen.
'I'm really happy to be here.'
This gratitude about becoming a United States citizen is something everyone should reflect upon, Favreau, a SUNY Plattsburgh Class of 1973 graduate and U.S. magistrate judge for the Northern District of New York, said in his address.
He said in his time presiding over immigration cases, one person expressed to him how lucky he was to live in this country. Similarly, at a previous naturalization ceremony, one new citizen was so overcome with happiness, he was sobbing uncontrollably when it came time to accept his certificate.
'Those of us that are born here may not fully appreciate that emotion, that feeling, that pride and that commitment to this country,' Favreau said.
'This ongoing process should be a reminder to all of us of what's important and what we need to stand for in this country.'
As part of the ceremony, the a cappella group from Stafford Middle School performed the National Anthem, 'This Land is Your Land,' and 'America the Beautiful.'
Amanda Ross, a nurse practitioner, was one of several people from Canada who became American citizens Friday.
She said from the moment she, her husband and son came to the United States for work in 2015, she knew they never wanted to leave. They also had two more children while living here.
Ross said they had been here on green cards and then work visas but as soon as they could, applied for citizenship.
'We knew that we weren't going anywhere,' she said.
'We love it here in America. We had no intention of going back to Canada, so we applied for citizenship, and here we are today. So life is good. It's exciting. It's like finally the journey has come to a close.'
Ross said it's a relief to finally be a citizen.
'It's been about a year-long process from the start of the application for citizenship,' she said.
'So yeah, it's been a long year waiting. (To celebrate) we actually are going to go back to our hotel. We have my son here with his whole hockey team that came to support us. So we're all going to go have lunch and hang out and go swimming.'
This was something Ross had in common with SUNY Plattsburgh President Alexander Enyedi. Enyedi said he, too, became an American citizen from Canada 20 years ago.
'Having been born in Canada, I know first hand what this day represents: the fulfillment of a long journey, the embrace of new opportunities and the profound commitment to the ideals and the responsibilities of American citizenship,' Enyedi said.
'So today, in front of witnesses, friends, family, loved ones, we come together to celebrate a moment of significance, one that honors both individual achievement and the shared values that bind us as a community, we want to recognize and celebrate that the individuals who are taking over citizenship today are marking a very meaningful step in their journey.'
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