CLEVELAND, Ohio — Eighty Ohioans on Friday became naturalized citizens of the United States, with a welcome from more than a dozen strangers holding signs and offering congratulations.
The gathering, where people held signs in French, Spanish, Farsi and other languages — was not political, said organizer Rebecca Maurer. But it came week after President Donald Trump signed an immigration ban that led to massive protests nationally, including at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.
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“This room is filled with so many people from all different walks of life and different countries and different places in the world, and it really embodies the American story,” she said.
The supporters left just before the proceedings began. Then, 80 people took the oath and received paperwork that showed they were officially citizens in a ceremony the court does nearly every other week.
Jane Maima and daughter Fidelis immigrated from from Kenya. They moved here because of the career possibilities, said Jane, a nurse.
“(Being an American citizen) means being accepted for being yourself but being a part of something good, something great, where your individuality isn’t something that is washed out,” Fidelis said. “That you’re allowed to be who you are, that you’re allowed to be Kenyan, and still be proud to be American.”
Ruben Bonilla, an immigrant from Colombia, said he had been trying to become an American citizen for 11 years. Why? “I love America.”
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