TWENTY new U.S. citizens were sworn in Friday, Nov. 12, at the District Court for the NMI.
They are Somjai Sae Tang Ada, Felicita Bigoy Arriola, May Ann Reyes Cabrera, Dioni Alcaide Camacho, Amelia Tiamzon Castro, Windle Arellano Ciano, Maria Inay Elameto, Mariquita Mejia Flores, Jesus Sunga Hernandez, Pablo Bautista Mendoza, Marissa Esperanza Miron, Fernando Boniag Molina, Concepcion Gabi Pinaula, Monica Intan Quiteves, Juvilyn Santos Sablan, Romila Egipto Sablan, Jerry Dela Cruz Uberita, Angelita Angeles Velarde, Monalisa Deang Villagomez, and Maryline Dalit Sinampan.
Patricia Phelan, U.S. Citizenship and Immigrations Services officer, made the motion in court to accept the applicants as new citizens.
Presiding over the special session, Magistrate Judge Heather Kennedy granted Phelan’s motion and welcomed the new citizens to the United States.
The ceremony also acknowledged Veterans Day.
Magistrate Judge Kennedy, in her remarks, said veterans and naturalized citizens share a common understanding.
“I imagined your desire to become a citizen today is based in part in your desire for a better tomorrow for you and your family,” she said. “You made that desire a reality today because of your commitment, your determination, and your hard work. As you all know, the path to U.S. citizenship requires effort, resolve, and patience… I think naturalized citizens and the veterans share a common understanding. Both groups truly understand the meaning of citizenship, the value of justice, and the greatness of this country,” she added.
For his part, the guest speaker, retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Clement Bermudes, talked about respect, relationships and the responsibility of citizenship.
“I’m so honored to celebrate this significant day with you, your family, and friends who supported and encouraged you throughout this process,” he said. “This ceremony celebrates how hard you worked for something better. No, it’s not about being better than others but to do better for that person you see in the mirror.”
Bermudes added, “Respect was a fundamental value I learned from my hard-working parents: to not only respect the rule of law but to respect other people, and that there’s truly right and wrong.”
Without respect, he said, “you will find it very hard to open most doors in life. Respecting other people makes you humble and empathetic. It is difficult to have a real relationship with other people when there’s no respect. We develop relationships everyday but mostly they are transactional. The relationship we develop, create or improve is just like a bank account — if you never invest in anything or deposit time, love, energy and care, you get nothing in return.”
With citizenship comes greater responsibilities, Bermudes added.
These include “the responsibility for the freedoms we enjoy, for respecting all laws, for our relationship with our fellow Americans, and those who seek a better life to be a better person, and for the equality and fairness entrusted by the Constitution,” he said.
A Criminal Justice program coordinator and department chair at Northern Marianas College, Bermudes encourages the new citizens to inspire the next generation of America “not only with words but with your actions.”
The newly sworn in U.S. citizens pose for a photo with Magistrate Judge Heather Kennedy of the District Court for the NMI, USCIS Immigration Officer Patricia Phelan, and retired Lt. Col. Clement Bermudes at the federal courthouse on Friday, Nov. 12, 2021.
