RICHMOND, Va. -- Seventy-five people from 36 countries came to the Virginia Museum of History and Culture in Richmond on Tuesday to become naturalized citizens, pledging their allegiance to the United States before family and friends. The Honorable Roger L. Gregory, the Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, led the Oath of Allegiance.
"It doesn't matter if you've been an American citizen for 100 years or 100 minutes. The cloak, all of those things that come with it, the protection and hopefully the embrace of other Americans, will be with you always," Judge Gregory said. "You inspire us that good people like you want to be citizens of our country. And to me, that says a lot about hope."
The home countries of those obtaining citizenship ranged from Bhutan to El Salvador to Vietnam.
It's a long time coming for many like Fiona Weaser from the United Kingdom. She came to the United States to go to school at the University of Virginia.
"It's very poignant and very emotional," Weaser said.
Meeting her husband in Virginia led her to seek citizenship, a process that took several years.
"We met and decided that we were going to keep this going, and while my husband had been commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps, I was in the U.K., and I said, 'Let's do something about this, let's make this happen,'" Weaser said.
For others, like Anbu Thangam Karunanithi from India, the path to citizenship was almost two decades in the making.
She moved to the United States with her four-month-old daughter about 19 years ago after her husband got a job.
"I'm very happy to vote. I can make my voice heard," Karunanithi said. "This is very exciting. I can travel to more places. That is exciting. With new citizenship, my rights come in, so whenever I need to be part of any team that requires to protect the country, I'll be here."
She's the first one in her family to go through the process, but she won't be her last. Her daughter's naturalization ceremony is just a few months away.
"It is really amazing, exciting. Very emotional," Karunanithi said. "Finally, I got it."
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