GARDINER — Fifty-three people became American citizens on Thursday, September 26, at Arch Park in Gardiner, and each has their own story of immigration.
Hopeful faces sat in the crowd, ready to start their new journey as a United States citizen. Many of them spent multiple years or decades earning their citizenship.
"It was helpful to find a lawyer and understand the rules and the things we needed to do, but it was a long process, I would say," says Ophelia Cornia, a new U.S. citizen originally from Mexico.
Thursday’s Naturalization Ceremony was the 58th to happen across multiple national parks this year — where immigrants from 24 different countries gave up allegiance to their home countries to become American citizens.
According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration website, approximately 878,500 immigrants became U.S. citizens last year, which is a 9% decline from the previous year.
"I’ve always wanted to come to the United States. I went to college at BYU Idaho and so that was very special for me," says Cornia.
She is one of the citizens sworn in at today’s ceremony. She originates from Mexico but has been in the U.S. for 11 years since first coming here for college.
We asked Ophelia what becoming an American means to her, "I mean, the U.S. is the land of opportunities and that’s what it’s been to me, so it just means a lot."
Attending college in Idaho, Ophelia used this opportunity to earn a degree in education. She now uses it to teach kids Spanish — and United States history.
Now as a mother, she’s grateful for her son to have the same opportunities in the United States, "I am so excited to become an American and yeah, it’s just a very special day for me."
