‘It’s a wonderful feeling’
More than 200 new citizens naturalized at Downtown courthouse
WORTH THE WAIT: Jovita Revilla (left) became a United States citizen after arriving in the country from the Philippines almost 20 years ago and
celebrated outside Brooklyn Federal Court with her daughter Abby Salazar. Photo by Kevin Duggan
COURIER LIFE, AUG. 30-SEPT 5, 2019 3
BY KEVIN DUGGAN
They let freedom ring!
More than 230 people became
United States citizens
at a packed naturalization
ceremony in Brooklyn Federal
Court Thursday morning.
The Cadman Plaza E.
courthouse was filled with
brand new Americans hailing
from all corners of the
globe during the Aug. 22
event, which was presided
over by Judge Pamela Chen,
who spoke about the country’s
strength through its
diversity, according to one
Queens woman in attendance.
“I thought it was nice
for the judge to recognize
that a lot of the people who
were a part of this ceremony
came from all different
countries,” said Abby Salazar.
“The diversity is what
makes this country special
and think that was a nice
recognition.”
Salazar joined her
mother Jovita Revilla, who
came to The Land of Opportunity
from the Philippines
nearly 20 years ago and was
delighted to receive her
citizenship after all those
years.
“It feels exciting. I’m
happy, of course, and it’s
almost two decades, so it’s
a wonderful feeling that finally
I’m an American citizen,”
Revilla said.
The courthouse hosts
large-scale naturalizations
in its ceremonial courtroom
four days a week, from
Tuesday to Friday — sometimes
twice a day — yearround.
As many as 260 people
attend the ceremonies,
according to Ogoro Francis,
a spokeswoman for the
District Executive Office of
the Eastern District of New
York.
The street outside the
building near Tillary Street
was filled with elated families
posing for pictures with
their freshly-minted documents,
which some of them
received after leaving their
countries to seek refuge in
the U.S. of A.
One man and his mother
fled Burma some five years
ago and the two were relieved
to finally have a country
to proudly call their own
after years in limbo.
“It’s overwhelming and
emotional because finally
we became permanent citizens,”
said Nasir Hussein,
who became an American
along with his mother Najma.
“Previously, you know,
as a refugee you don’t have
any state and any citizenship
and now we finally got
confirmed that this is our
country and we can proudly
say that the United States is
our country.”
One mother, who came
to the States from Colombia
four years ago, celebrated
her new nationality and
said that citizenship will allow
her to take care of her
family.
“I am happy, it’s important
for my life and it’s
very good for my daughter
and family that the United
States is giving me this opportunity,”
said Giovanna
Triana, who was there with
her daughter Nicole.
NEW CITIZENS: Nasir Hussein and his mother Najma fl ed Burma as refugees some fi ve years ago and were
delighted to fi nally call America their home.