Legal Immigrants Become Citizens During Partial Government Shutdown

SAN ANGELO, TX — While President Trump and Congressional Democrats spar over border security and the partial government shutdown, 31 legal immigrants from nine countries became United States citizens the right way in the O.C. Fisher Federal Courthouse in San Angelo Wednesday.

The partial government shutdown has not affected operations in the Federal Courthouse in San Angelo as U.S. Magistrate Judge E. Scott Frost administered the Oath of Allegiance to the applicants.

There were 18 applicants from Mexico, five from Nepal, two from India and one each from the Republic of China, Iran, Jordan, South Korea, the Philippines and West Germany.  The youngest person to be naturalized Wednesday was 21 years old and from Mexico.  The oldest was 70 years old and formerly a citizen of Iran.

San Angelo City Manager Daniel Valenzuela gave the special address Wednesday encouraging the new citizens to participate in government by voting.

The Oath of Allegiance naturalized citizens take is as follows: “I hereby declare on oath that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state or sovereignty, of whom or of which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen, that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same, that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by law, that I will perform noncombatant service in the armed forces of the United States when required by law; that I will perform work of National Importance under civilian direction when required by law; and that I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion, so help me God.”

The Federal Government partially shutdown on Dec. 22 after President Trump and Democrats failed to reach an agreement on funding a border wall.  The U.S. District Court in San Angelo is still operating and federal employees here are receiving paychecks.

President Trump Tuesday night held a primetime televised address saying, “America proudly welcomes millions of lawful immigrants who enrich our society and contribute to our nation. But, all Americans are hurt by uncontrolled illegal migration. It strains public resources and drives down jobs and wages. Among those hardest hit are African-Americans and Hispanic Americans. Our southern border is a pipeline for vast quantities of illegal drugs, including meth, heroin, cocaine and fentanyl. Every week 300 of our citizens are killed by heroin alone, 90 percent of which floods across from our southern border. More Americans will die from drugs this year than were killed in the entire Vietnam War.”