Twenty-nine new American citizens took their oath of citizenship Wednesday at the federal courthouse in Cape Girardeau.
The guest speaker was Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster. He spoke to immigrants from 11 countries and their families and friends.
“They say that people come to find the American dream. But in truth, you are the American dream,” Koster said. “For 237 years, the United States has become the adopted home of the brightest minds and the hardest working bodies in the world.”
Koster went on to say immigrants or their children have founded 40 percent of the companies on the Fortune 500. He called the oath of citizenship “one of America’s most sacred rituals.”
“The people in this room today are no strangers to hard work or to difficult choices. Each of you has left behind your homeland, your closest friends, your extended family for new opportunities in a new country,” Koster said.
The new citizens came from eleven countries. The two countries with the most immigrants were Mexico and India, with nine apiece.
One of those new citizens was Andy Bollinger, from Romania.
“It’s definitely a milestone and the picture we took today will be shown for generations and they’ll be proud of their mom, grandma later, that’s when she became an American. What can I say? It’s been a dream to come here and then become a citizen,” Bollinger said.
Bollinger called the ceremony “emotional.”
“There were some of my fellow citizens today that had tears. For me, it had been five years, but there were others for twenty years. After so many years it’s a big event,” she said.
Pedro Martinez and his wife Edith are both originally from Mexico City but now life in Sikeston, where he is a plant controller at Tetra Pak. He says the couple is very happy to earn their citizenship.
“We will have more rights, even though rights come with obligations. It’s not going to be a 360 degree change but at least we know that we can have more impact on the community,” Martinez said.
Judge Stephen Limbaugh administered the oath.
The 29 new citizens made up the largest single group ever naturalized in Cape Girardeau.