Roselyn Johnson was in tears.
Twenty years ago, when she migrated with her mother to the U.S., the Liberian immigrant didn’t understand what she would feel on this day. Now, minutes after becoming an American citizen, she was crying, thinking about the work her mother put in to make a life for them in a new country.
And in this moment, with stepped up federal immigration enforcement happening across the Twin Cities, the milestone means even more for Johnson and 197 others who participated in naturalization ceremonies Friday at the Warren E. Burger Federal Building in downtown St. Paul.
“It’s not just about the American Dream,” she said.
Earning citizenship culminates a years-long process that includes background checks and requires them to be of “good moral character,” meet English-language requirements, pass a civics test, and have lived in the United States for five years and in Minnesota for three months. The Trump administration is making standards more difficult and giving immigration officers more leeway to deny applications due to the good moral character standard.
The benefits that they have as citizens over lawful permanent residents, or “green card” holders, include the rights to vote, have a U.S. passport, and not be deported.
That last right has become more important as Minnesota has become a focus of President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
Itzel Vielma, 29, has two sons, the oldest of which is five years old — the same age she was when she came to the U.S. with her mother and sister. Now that she has her citizenship, her greatest relief is the knowledge that she can’t be separated from her boys.
“It gives me a lot of comfort, especially during this time, knowing that I am safe and can be with my kids,” said Vielma, who is in school to become a nurse.
For many, it wasn’t just about the permanence in the U.S. that citizenship afforded them. They were also excited about the prospect of helping shape the society they live in.
“Yeah, it makes me feel safer,” Anwar Tefera, who came as a refugee from Ethiopia by way of Kenya. “But what is most important now is going to vote.”
Joyce Towah, who came to the country from Liberia about 19 years ago with her parents, also said she eventually took the step to get her citizenship largely for her two American-born daughters and for her to be able to vote.
“People would talk so much about elections and I’d be like, oh, I’d want to vote, too. It makes you feel you are part of the country, the community,” Towah said.
Pankaj Thapa, an Indian who got his U.S. citizenship last week, years after the software engineer came to Minnesota on an H1-B visa for highly skilled workers, said he is looking forward to having a voice. The added security his new status provides is also a relief.
“It’s definitely a weird time,” Thapa said. “The way things are moving, you want to have that security.”
Related: Proof of ‘good moral character’ increasingly important as U.S. citizenship requirements change
The size of Friday’s naturalization ceremonies was normal for the state, organizers said. They were the first held in the state since the Trump administration increased immigration enforcement in Minnesota.
Judge William Fisher took a roll call of all the countries represented before the oath of citizenship was administered. There were 21 countries from around the world.
Near the end of the ceremony, he asked for anyone to stand if they were American. All 44 freshly minted citizens stood.
“Look at that. We had all those countries. Now we have one. A bit of magic there,” he said. “I wish every American would see at least one of these.”
The post Amid stepped up ICE enforcement, Minnesota immigrants earn citizenship — and a degree of security appeared first on MinnPost.
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