U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services hosted a ceremony this week at UNT Dallas, swearing in 200 new citizens from 50 countries. New citizens and their families filled a ballroom in the university's Student Center.
"It's amazing," one man who moved from Iraq said. "Today, I feel something very powerful. I cannot explain everything inside me, but I'm very happy."
"I'm so excited," a woman from Kenya said. "I'm free, and I'm good. It's been a really nice and long journey, but it's worth waiting for."
New citizens have spent years working through the process. Many started with green cards or temporary visas. Some are now waiting for family members to complete the process as well.
"Everybody wants to be an American because in this place, you have a lot of opportunities if you are trustworthy, honest and you are not a lazy person," a woman from Nigeria said.
A table was set up where new citizens could also register to vote. Some said they hope their stories can show natural born citizens the advantages they already have.
"To be able to have the great benefit of voting, it's something we shouldn't take for granted," a woman from Mexico said.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services says its Dallas office has been naturalizing about 3,000 people a month.
"It's a great feeling. I tell people all the time this is the best part of my job to see everyone so happy and excited about this new journey they're embarking upon," says USCIS' Michelle Montgomery.
UNT Dallas launched a program in 2017 to help immigrants get acclimated to life in the United States. Citizenship classes include dual language courses for those who speak Spanish, workshops on how to work through the citizenship process and civics classes.
The classes are available for students and adults in the community. They are free and include testing and mock interviews.
"For us to see they leave career-ready is just amazing," says Professor Mara Queiroz-Vaughn. "For us to also see people who come through the program become U.S. citizens, they become voters, is wonderful."
Queiroz-Vaughn also works as an ambassador for USCIS. She says the classes started with about ten students in 2017 but now draw more than 100.
"Some people who are here today went through the courses provided by the university," she says.
She says UNT Dallas is now working with 23 other colleges and universities to duplicate the model in person and online. Queiroz-Vaughn says she hopes the program can help immigrants interested in citizenship who might live in rural areas without the same access to a college campus.
"Hopefully, within a year, this will be available for the entire country to participate," she says. "It's very important what we do here. We are researchers, we are professors and most of all, we are students. Students run this program."
The next round of U.S. citizenship classes at UNT Dallas is starting now. Orientation has already started, but registration continues through October 7 with classes starting the following evening.
More information is available at https://www.untdallas.edu/las/undergrad-programs/citizenship.php
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