United States Citizenship Conferred on 33 in San Angelo Wednesday

SAN ANGELO, TX -- Federal Immigration Services officials held a Naturalization Ceremony in the O.C. Fisher Federal building in downtown San Angelo Wednesday adding 33 new citizens.  

U.S. Magistrate Judge E. Scott Frost presided and Downtown San Angelo Director Del Velasquez gave the keynote speech. Velasquez told the new citizens that he has traveled extensively and spent three years in Puerto Rico.  Velasquez worked in the President George H.W. Bush administration and said when he traveled people wanted to know two things; how did he get his job and how do you become an American Citizen.

Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Mario Ortiz also addressed the new batch of American citizens.  He encouraged them to thank those family members and friends who encouraged them to complete the citizenship process.

The 33 new citizens include one from Columbia, two from India, two from the Phillipines, one from Vietnam and 27 from Mexico.  

The youngest new American is Abygale Gonzalez who is 23 and the oldest Naturalized on Wednesday was Olga Perez Rodriguez who is 72.  

The 33 new U.S. citizens are:  Maria Corazon Chavez Algas Welch, Maria Elvira Avellaneda Rubio, Cesar Roulette Sanchez Bustos, Claudia Guadalupe Castillo, Esteban Eduardo Castillo, Cristina Elizondo, Juan Manuel Garcia Martinez, Abygale Estefania Gonzalez, Juan Griego, Lourdes G. Guajardo, Gilbert Gutierrez Nevarez, Vilma Haskell, Jaime Homero Hernandez Fuentes, Alan Guadalupe Jimenez Delgado, Jose Francisco Jimenez Delgado, Carolina Lara, Eric Ledesma Ponce, Alejandro Marquez Davila, Josue Martinez Martinez, Silvia Martinez Trejo, Juan Garcia Mendoza, Ada Luz Narro, Neeraja Neelakantan, Phuongkhe Thi Nguyen, Juana Maria Sanchez Martinez, Graciela Sanchez, Gisela Tapia Padilla, and Gokul Hariaam K. Venkitachalam.  

The 33 naturalized citizens were administered the Oath of Allegiance and then Pledged Allegiance to the Flag before being handed certificates of citizenship.  

The Tom Green County Elections office had a table set up outside the courthouse to register the new citizens to vote.