9.6.2023 Naturalization Ceremony

foreign all persons all persons having anything to do before The Honorable Heidi brieger Chief Justice of the superior court now sitting at Fall River for the purpose of this naturalization draw near give your attendance and you shall be heard God Save The Commonwealth of Massachusetts you can be seated

good morning on this very chilly day on behalf of the Superior Court my name is Jennifer Sullivan I am the clerk of courts for Bristol County and it is truly a privilege to be here with you and share in this very special day congratulations to each one of you on your hard work and dedication to citizenship at this time I would ask the Vietnam veterans association of Fall River to please present the colors

post colors and now for the singing of our national anthem our guest soloist Ms Rachel rapoza please stand oh say can you see by the dawn's early light what so proudly we have at the twilight's last gleaming whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous wine or the ramparts we washed were so gallantly streaming and the rockets red glass the bombs bursting in air gay through

the night not our flag was still there oh say does that star spangled Bender yet away Faith or the land of the free and the home of the rest please be seated thank you Rachel at this time for the presentation of motions to the court I call to the podium Mr Dennis Reardon from the United States citizenship and immigration service and chief justice Heidi brieger thank you clerk Sullivan good morning

I am pleased to represent the United States citizenship and immigration services within the Department of Homeland Security at these proceedings today your honor there are 49 applicants for naturalization present here today and there are five applicants who wish to change their names five of those applicants wish to change their names as part of the naturalization process the government has investigated the reasons

for these changes and interposes no objection I respectfully move that all five name changes be allowed it is with great honor and dignity that I allow that motion as well as the next motion thank you your honor as mentioned there are 49 applicants for naturalization present here today all 49 have been duly examined under the provisions of the immigration and nationality Act of 1952

as amended and they have all been found well qualified for United States citizenship at this time I respectfully move that you request the clerk of the court to administer the oath of allegiance to all 49 applicants thus bestowing upon them one of our nation's highest honors United States citizenship

okay can I have all applicants for citizenship please stand and raise your right hands get those hands up there this is the moment you've been waiting for please repeat after me I hereby declare on oath that I absolutely and entirely renounce all Allegiance and fidelity to any foreign Prince state or sovereignty of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen that I will support and defend

the Constitution and the laws of the United States against all enemies both 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 non-combatant 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 my fellow Americans congratulations you are now citizens of the United States

you may be seated and now it is my great honor and privilege to invite to the podium the presiding Justice in this special sitting of the Court The Honorable Heidi breger Chief Justice of the superior court for a few remarks Jeep Rieger good morning everyone and welcome to Senator Michael Rodricks who is here on the podium with me and Senator Thomas Norton's wife Doris who is here representing him welcome to this

special sitting of the Bristol County superior court on the USS Massachusetts battleships are rarely a joyful place but today the USS Massachusetts is just that a Joyful Joyful place it is fitting for this naturalization ceremony on behalf of all of my colleagues I share your joy and I share their pride in you because there's nothing more important on this day than your newfound citizenship in the United States of

America the 50 of you are taking this oath of citizenship and you come from 21 countries around the world please raise your hand as I acknowledge your country of origin Angola Brazil Cabo Verde Cambodia Congo Dominican Republic Egypt El Salvador Guatemala Haiti Ireland Jamaica Kenya Malawi Nepal Nigeria Pakistan Peru Portugal Serbia and Vietnam welcome welcome the United States will be enriched by your presence here

a naturalization ceremony is deeply meaningful to those of you being naturalized and also to your families taking this oath has a long history for centuries men and women from foreign lands have pledged their loyalty as a final step in becoming citizens of this country they come bearing rich and diverse cultures and practices the story of America is the story of immigration as President John F Kennedy said every

American who has ever lived with the exception of one group was either an immigrant himself or the descendants of immigrants we are a nation of immigrants this ceremony also has deep personal meaning to me my father and his family fled Hamburg Germany in 1939 to escape the Holocaust they sailed across the Atlantic up through the Panama Canal and into San Francisco where they settled with family

my father struggled to learn English and pretended that he did not speak German because our country was at war with Germany and he did not want to be identified as the enemy after he learned English and became a naturalized citizen of the United States and for the rest of his days he kept his naturalization papers and United States passport easily acceptable accessible in the upper left-hand side of his top

Bureau drawer he told his friends and family that he was lucky to grow up in the United States of America and in fact he was lucky to grow up at all today as you join generations of courageous immigrants like my grandparents and father I'm sure you will have similar stories to share with your friends and Families this Majestic Battleship the USS Massachusetts served with honor during

World War II it carried American troops around the globe to fight for the values of freedom and tolerance on which this country was founded thanks in part to The Bravery of those soldiers honored here today and the support of their families the values they fought for are now yours to enjoy and to support as citizens of the United States of America being aboard the USS Massachusetts

reminds me of something that the great civil rights leader Martin Luther King once said we may come on different ships but we're all in the same boat now we are on this boat together as we honor the immigrants who became United States citizens your new citizenship gives you and your families the opportunity for a new and different life but it is not it is not a one-way Street citizenship is

more than this ceremony it is more than just the right to live here citizenship confers upon each of you certain powers Privileges and responsibilities you have the power to vote by voting you will help choose presidents Senators Governors school committee members and state senators like senator rodericks voting is perhaps one of your greatest Powers you will also have the power and

the duty to sit on a jury if you are asked to sit on a jury and have the power to decide who is guilty and who is not guilty who is liable to pay damages and who is not you will participate in our great system of justice as a United States citizen you will also enjoy great privileges we are fortunate to live in a country in which our constitutions both state and federal

guarantee us all the freedom of speech the freedom of the press and the freedom of religion privileges that should never be taken for granted with those powers and privileges comes great great responsibility use your citizenship wisely Safeguard it and remind others around you that they too should value and appreciate and feel lucky to live here in the world's greatest and most powerful democracy you

now share the responsibility of keeping our country committed to doing the right thing helping to preserve the freedoms and opportunities that so many have fought and died to secure you have the responsibility to advocate for peace for a clean environment and for Safe Streets please take this charge to Heart commit yourself to uniting people and not dividing people remind your fellow

citizens of every stripe that they along with you are responsible for what this can country is for us and for what it will become for our children and grandchildren many of whom I see before me this morning please cherish our freedoms and remember our history of Tolerance respect what America is and what we stand for and help others to do the same be kind to one another and try to help those in

need show up to vote show up for jury duty use your voices to celebrate what is great about our country but also to help improve those things that need improving in closing I wish that you and many generations of your families will enjoy and appreciate the blessings of the commitment that you all made today after many many months of difficult hard work I hope that you and your families will

always remember this moment and cherish it in your hearts and maybe your top Bureau drawer as did my own father please accept my heartfelt congratulations

thank you chief justice breger for those wonderful remarks it is now my honor to invite Senator Michael J Rodricks to the podium for some featured remarks

thank you good morning welcome congratulations I'm State Senator Michael rodericks and I am so very honored and proud to be here today at this naturalization ceremony my grandparents came to the same attended this very same ceremony in 1932.

I can't think of a more appropriate place to have your United States citizenship bestowed upon you then here at Battleship coal Cove a Living testament to what Freedom really means the right to Universal freedom is so sacred and cherish that men and women are willing to fight and die for it the commitment to becoming a U.S citizen is one of the most important milestones in an immigrant's life

by taking this ultimate step to citizenship you embody the unifying principle that binds us all together as Americans that's what America really stands for a true Melting Pot of many peoples many Creeds many faiths one nation under God indivisible the Declaration of Independence boldly stated that all people whoever they may be should be free to enjoy life liberty and the pursuit of happiness

a return for your allegiance to our great country in all it stands for you will now be able to enjoy the many rights and privileges fundamental to United States citizens let me tell you the requirement for U.S citizenships are not easy as you all know before you even get to to the test you must be a lawful permanent residence for five years in fact most people spend an average of seven years waiting for this

historic day last year our nation welcomed almost 1 million new citizenship citizens in naturalization ceremonies held across the United States finally now it's your turn I offer my most heartfelt congratulations to all the proud new citizens and your families as you'll enter a new chapter in your life I'll leave the day with the Latin phrase Cape diem seize the day thank you

thank you senator rodericks I was recently contacted by Dennis Reardon of UCI USCIS informing me that he had received a call from retired Senator Tom Norton about acknowledging Deputy assistant clerk Isabel kochman at the upcoming naturalization ceremony of course we all overwhelmingly agreed that Isabel should indeed be recognized for her many many years of dedication and commitment to the naturalization process

while Senator Norton is unable to be here today his wife Doris is here in his Stead so at this time I would like to call back to the podium senator rodericks for the presentation

again thank you thank you very much and it's great honor and privilege again for me to resent a citation to Isabel kochman Isabel is really a hero of mine come on up Isabel and she worked for one of my predecessors Senator Tom Norton who was absolutely a hero and a mentor of Mayan when I entered the state legislature 27 years ago in 1996 as a young state representative Senator Norton was then

majority leader in the Massachusetts state Senate and his office was directly across the hall from the Massachusetts house chamber and as a young curious interested legislator I would often Wander over to his office to pick his experience season brains and to meet and chat with staff that do as we all know that do all the work in the state house and Isabel was always so welcome warm and friendly

now many years later after all these years of Isabel helping to coordinate and organize these Naturalization Service Services it's an honor that I get to present Isabelle with the special Massachusetts citation from the state senate it reads be it known that the Massachusetts Senate hereby extends its congratulations to Isabel M cochman Deputy assistant clerk for naturalization in recognition of your

many years of service and commitment supporting the immigration community and your dedicated work to the naturalization process and the courts for each immigrant to receive their citizenship and be it further known that the Massachusetts Senate extends its best wishes for continuous success that this citation be duly signed by the president of the Senate and attested to in a copy thereof transmitted by the

clerk of the Senate and it is signed by The Honorable Karen e spilka president of the Massachusetts state senate it's a tested tool by Michael D Hurley Clerk of the Massachusetts state Senate and it's offered by myself state Senator Michael J Rodricks on this sixth day of September 2023. congratulations Isabel

okay okay now I would call to the podium um for the presentation of his acknowledgment Dennis Reardon from the USCIS thank you clerk Sullivan first of all to the new citizens 49 of you I thank you for all the sacrifices you've made including today sitting on the deck plates of of this Battleship it's hot and the ceremony did not start as scheduled and that's my responsibility so I feel very bad for

for the extra sacrifices you've made and you've made many sacrifices up to today leaving your mothers and fathers and your brothers and sisters and your friends coming to an uncertain future many of you not being able to speak the English language having to learn that after your your time whether it be three years or five years applying for citizenship going into a government office is not easy for anyone not even

for an american-born person studying for the test working diligently working hard going in there apprehensive about the interview and how well will I do on the test and you did very well and because of your efforts our country is stronger thank you for joining the American family thank you for being here today and Isabel kochman her family made those same sacrifices I know her mother's in

the back her sister uh her brothers here her son is here I think Senator Norton is down there on the deck he probably can't hear me but I salute you Mrs Norton is in the back when we were running late we called clerk Sullivan and we were very apprehensive Marilla tiberi and Alessandra Montero but we knew Isabelle would be here Isabel has always been here for us Isabel is part of the U.S citizenship and Immigration

Services family and before that the Immigration and Naturalization Service family Isabel and certainly Senator Norton invited us here many many years ago but Isabel has been the constant she has been a driving force she has uplifted us here she has been the face of USCIS in so many ways in Fall River Isabel you're going to continue to work with us and that is so important to have your expertise and really the love in

your heart and the care that you have for people and the commitment you have to this nation's history as a nation of immigrants in our 246-year history we've gone from a small nation of 3 million to a great nation of well over 300 million because we have never failed to welcome immigrants we welcome you today and may someone be standing at this podium in late August or early September welcoming

immigrants for many years to come God bless you I have two tokens to offer to Isabel one is a challenge coin I wasn't in the military I had a daughter in the military she went to the Naval Academy and a few years ago she was standing along the rails here and I was delighted she was going to school at the war College in Newport Rhode Island but this is a challenge coin and we have

honored people three times with challenge coins this is the third time Isabelle is the first person that's a non-federal government employee so Isabel I present this I hope you enjoy it treasure it and think of us fondly when you should pull that out of the drawer thank you you're welcome thank you and the second coin is only to be issued to members of the USCIS team um but Isabel is a member of the USCIS team

and for this award Isabel this award is uh is a sign of your dedication your fidelity your care your kindness and just being such an important part of the team we value you and we love you

I promise to be brief it's very hot thank you Senator Mike Rogers for this great honor and for taking time out of your very busy schedule to be here today also thank you to USCIS District director Dennis ririn just acknowledge acknowledgment for these tokens in the very kind word the very kind words thank you very much appreciate it uh I've been to working together with this Bristol County

Superior Corps in the USCIS citizenship immigration services for many many years for the same common goal to help make the process of becoming a citizen a pleasant experience I was appointed assistant Deputy clerk for naturalization in Bristol County in 1985.

so 38 years ago I know I'm aging myself here but it's been an honor and a privilege to have helped thousands of applicants attain their dream of U.S citizenship the biggest thank you however goes to former state senator Tom Norton who is not here today but his lovely wife Doris like it's been mentioned is on the back thank you for being here Doris we all have Tom Norton to to thank for

initiating this program in Bristol County in 1985.

he saw the need and had the vision to create this much needed program to assist immigrants on becoming U.S citizens I was appointed to this position as an assistant Deputy clerk for naturalization while I was part of his staff and being a naturalized citizen myself I can totally relate to what applicants go through becoming citizens of this great nation so congratulations to you all who became

naturalized citizens today and to conclude I would also like to thank my family and friends who are here today with me thank you all for this great acknowledgment

thank you Isabel well deserved now if we can um we're going to hand out the certificates to all of the applicants so we'll be moving down there when your name is called please come forward and accept your certificate

yeah can we disconnect it hand it to you that I can you got it this way

yeah no I was trying to get the cord over

here

thank you

as you can see we should all be together though should we go on that side get back when I call your name can you please come forward for your certificate Elizabeth and malali Sullivan Gene to Saint William

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genderson Kenneth de Silva congratulations thank you very much Eric Alberto aravalo Hernandez Corolla

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is is thou least Joseph here Joseph okay so we go up there we go

home stretch I promise

yeah we might get a snack on the way and now if I could ask everyone to stand and join me in the pledge of allegiance to our flag I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all okay and now for rendition of God Bless America once again the very talented racial Raposa very talented

to take my shoes off welcome home by the way you're officially official that's exciting so sing along with me this is your new favorite song because the last sentence says God bless America my home sweet home this is your home now officially so please join me in that last line when we do God Bless America then that I love stand beside her and guide her through the night with the light from above

from the mountains to the Prairies to the oceans white with all God bless America my home sweet home sing it with me God bless America my heart home sweet home congratulations I'll see you all at jury duty yay yay now before we retire the colors the Vietnam veterans association of Fall River have a very special treat they are doing instead of a 21 gun salute they are doing a 21 Dove salute representing

peace hope and love

thank you

I would like to thank the Vietnam veterans of Fall River in particular my Uncle Gene a Vietnam veteran Marine thank you so much for being here with us today I would like to thank chief justice breger for joining us this is a very special treat Justice Rafi is sayin who is a Justice of the Superior Court Dennis Reardon Senator Michael Rodricks Doris and Tom Norton and I believe I saw

mayor Coogan somewhere back there thank you mayor for being with us today at this time please retire the colors

Mr Cryer please adjourn this special sitting of the Superior Court all rise hear ye hear ye hear ye all persons having anything further to do before The Honorable Heidi brieger Chief Justice of the superior court now sitting at Fall River for the purpose of naturalization depart as the sitting of this court is now adjourned God Save The Commonwealth of Massachusetts oh God the highest

how many of those of you