A heartfelt ceremony in L.A. honors 75 immigrants as new U.S. citizens

For those with green cards, the wait to apply to be a U.S. citizen is 3 to 5 years.

For the 75 new American citizens who participated in U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ naturalization ceremony at the Skirball Cultural Center on Wednesday, July 3, this year’s Independence Day marked a moment of joy and pride.

The new citizens, whose 32 countries of origin range from Peru to the Philippines and Armenia to Mexico, were joined by family and friends as they celebrated a milestone years in the making.

“They come from every corner of the globe and really represent the rich diversity of the United States,” said Bryan Christian, acting director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Los Angeles.

Together, this crowd of strangers stood on a hot sunny day with their hands on the hearts and recited the Pledge of Allegiance in a touching moment at Skirball Center.

“it’s wonderful that we can do this around the Fourth of July to celebrate the birthday of our country and what America really stands for,” Christian said. “There’s no better way, in my opinion, to celebrate that than to welcome new American citizens.”

Those who became U.S. citizens were as diverse as Los Angeles and the nation, including Michael Wang, originally from China, who Christian thanked for his service in the Army; Jose Contreras, originally from Mexico, who was photographed with his naturalized U.S. citizen certificate; and Sumayya Khan, originally from Pakistan, who was sworn in as her toddler, Alayna, born in the U.S., held an American flag for her mom.

In addition to the 75 Angelenos who participated in the naturalization ceremony at the Skirball Center, more 10,500 people celebrated their new citizenship this week at ceremonies across the country, according to Christian. The patriotic events were set in order to align with the Fourth of July.

The road to citizenship can be challenging and lengthy. For U.S. permanent residents who already hold green cards, the minimum wait time to apply to become a citizen is three to five years. And the application itself costs between $380 to $760.

After passing phases including an application, interview and exam, the 75 new U.S. citizens pledged an oath of allegiance during Wednesday’s Skirball Cultural Center ceremony, and ended the day with smiles, hugs and cheers.