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Arizona and Georgia are among states welcoming new U.S. citizens throughout Veterans Day holiday [1]
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Date: 2022-11-11
USCIS has hosted Veterans Day ceremonies throughout numerous administrations, naturalizing nearly 4,500 U.S. military service members and family members last year. The New American Economy Research Fund said in 2019 that nearly 900,000 immigrants have served or are currently serving in the U.S. military.
The Smithsonian said in a statement that the ceremony there took place there on Thursday was held at the museum’s Flag Hall, which houses the flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to write the lyrics that became the National Anthem. The ceremony that day also honored retired U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Stephen L.A. Michael as an Outstanding American By Choice. Michael, a military veteran of more than three decades, is originally from Guyana, and served in numerous campaigns.
“The Outstanding Americans by Choice initiative recognizes the outstanding achievements of naturalized U.S. citizens,” USCIS said. The Smithsonian said that it’s helped welcome more than 250 new Americans through its years-long partnership with USCIS, and further ceremonies are planned in states including Arizona, Georgia, and California through the weekend.
“USCIS has made great strides in assisting service members and their families who are eager to become naturalized U.S. citizens and is partnering with the U.S. Department of Defense to offer naturalization services early in their military career,” the agency said, touting thousands of remote interviews and naturalizations for service members and family members who are overseas. This is notable, considering the previous administration was sued for refusing to conduct remove naturalization during the pandemic.
“USCIS is also partnering closely with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to raise awareness about the benefits of U.S. citizenship to noncitizen Veterans and their family members who have not yet pursued naturalization,” the agency continued. The Biden administration last year announced a whole-of-government naturalization push, and data from just before the midterms revealed that more than 1.5 million immigrants have become U.S. citizens since 2020.
National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA) also said in its policy brief that the Biden administration had reduced the naturalization backlog by 35%, representing hundreds of thousands of immigration cases.
“This was possible because of common-sense USCIS policies that expand access to citizenship, significant backlog reduction, and governmental and civil society efforts to promote naturalization, including NPNA’s Naturalize 2 Million by 2022 and New American Voters campaigns,” NPNA Executive Director Nicole Melaku said in a statement received by Daily Kos. That definitely must include ensuring that the people who put their lives on the line for the nation can access citizenship.
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