Wednesday, December 20, 2017
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) presented 211 citizenship candidates to U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. The Honorable Mark G. Mastroianni, United States District Judge, presided over the ceremony and the clerk of the court administered the Oath of Allegiance to America’s newest citizens during a naturalization ceremony at American International College this morning.
Honored guests and speakers included the Honorable Mark G. Mastroianni, United States District Judge; Domenic J. Sarno, Mayor, Springfield, Massachusetts; Marsha A. Pollard, Ph.D., Interim Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, American International College; and Kristen Smith, Field Office Director, USCIS Lawrence Field Office. The National anthem will be performed by AIC theatre student Ally Reardon.
“As a son of Italian immigrants, I am happy to be with each of these individuals as they officially become citizens of the United States of America. Our country is a melting pot and the traditions brought from our home countries are an important piece of the fabric of our nation,” said Mayor Sarno. “And especially during this holiday season is American citizenship certainly a heartwarming gift.”
The 210 citizenship candidates originate from the following 63 countries: Albania, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bhutan, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, People’s Republic of China, Colombia, Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, Cote D’Ivoire, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, France, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Hungary, India, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Mexico, Moldova, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Russia, Senegal, Somalia, Spain, Sudan, Syria, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Vietnam, and Zimbabwe.
The candidates reside in the following Massachusetts cities and towns: Acton, Agawam, Amesbury, Amherst, Andover, Ashburnham, Bedford, Belchertown, Beverly, Carlisle, Chelmsford, Chicopee, Clinton, Concord, Dracut, East Longmeadow, Easthampton, Feeding Hills, Fitchburg, Florence, Granby, Greenfield, Haydenville, Holyoke, Housatonic, Hudson, Jefferson, Lawrence, Leominster, Lincoln, Littleton, Longmeadow, Lowell, Ludlow, Lynnfield, Medford, Methuen, Natick, North Reading, Northampton, Oakham, Orange, Pittsfield, Shelburne Falls, Shrewsbury, Shutesbury, South Hadley, Southbridge, Southwick, Springfield, Stow, Ware, West Boylston, West Springfield, West Stockbridge, Westfield, Westford, Wilbraham, Wilmington, and Worcester.
For a full photo album, please visit our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pg/CityofSpringfieldMA/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1044689882339054
