Felix Baum works just above the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office. Every day, he sees people coming in, nervous for their immigration interviews.
Baum can relate. While he’s lived in the United States for over a decade, over the last few months, he’s been going through the naturalization process.
Wednesday, joined by his wife and friends, he finally became a citizen.
“Felix has always been welcomed here,” Baum’s wife, Rachel, said. “It’s just making it official.”
On the day before the 4th of July, 98 people from 40 countries were naturalized as American citizens at the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site in Indianapolis. It was the last step in a months-long process; now, they can travel freely, sponsor relatives and vote.
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Judge Sarah Evans Barker presided over the ceremony.
“This is the perfect time for you new citizens to show up on our doorstep and offer your assistance, and your fresh perspectives, and your new sources of energy and dedication,” Barker said. “You are just what the doctor ordered.”
Burma, India most common of 40 nationalities
While many nations were represented, some brought more friends than others. Fourteen new citizens came from Burma, eight came from Mexico, and 11 came from India.
Baum didn’t have to give up his German citizenship, thanks to a law that passed last Thursday. However, not everyone can retain citizenship. Vandana Singh has to give up her Indian citizenship after seven years in the U.S.
“I felt like this was the right time and this was the right thing to do because I’ve really enjoyed my time here. Especially the kind of freedom you get,” Singh said. “It’s hard to find anywhere else.”
The naturalization process can be complex, with requirements to prove English proficiency, U.S. civics understanding and “good moral character,” demonstrated through things like paying taxes and accurately reporting income.
Indiana has one of the lowest naturalization rates in the U.S., with only 70.1% immigrants who are eligible for naturalization taking on the process. It’s unclear why the state is lagging, but there are several reasons why legal residents may not choose to take that final step. Some may want to keep dual citizenship, or they may not speak enough English to pass the civics exam.
Mayor Joe Hogsett celebrates
Still, citizenship is a goal toward which many Hoosiers aspire, and it’s one that Mayor Joe Hogsett celebrated at Wednesday’s ceremony.
“There’s no better time to reflect on this unique role of every American citizen, no better time than now,” Hogsett said. “On the eve of Independence Day, as you begin your next chapter, please remember that the city of Indianapolis is here to support you. Indianapolis welcomes you.”
April Parchin Tlem finished the naturalization process while also finishing high school. The 18-year-old was recognized as the youngest member of the “immigration class,” and she’s headed to IU Indianapolis to study nursing in the fall. The last few months have gone by quickly, she said.
She was one of several new citizens who registered to vote immediately after the ceremony. The League of Women Voters attends most naturalization ceremonies to make the registration process easy.
It’s something they may not think about otherwise, board member Chelsey Caseldine said, and it doesn’t take long because they’ve never been registered. Plus, it’s one of the first opportunities people have to say they’re a citizen.
“We even have people say ‘wait, don’t fill that out,’ and they pull out their phone to get a picture of them checking it off,” Caseldine said.
Those naturalized Wednesday were all lawful permanent residents, and the judge presiding over the ceremony differentiated the legal immigration process from the flood of non-citizens crossing the country's southern border the past several years.
“We have an illegal immigration crisis on our hands, but not an immigration crisis,” Barker said. “Our problem is not with anybody like you, it’s with people who don’t want to go through the procedures.”
At the end of a line of chairs, Baum was the last person to receive his citizenship certificate Wednesday. While he waited, he registered to vote.
“We’re finally there,” Baum said. His wife smiled.“Now we can celebrate,” she said.
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