Hundreds in Seattle become U.S. citizens on Independence Day
Hundreds of people in Seattle woke up this morning not as immigrants, but as newly minted U.S. citizens. The annual naturalization ceremony was held at Seattle Center on July 4 — Independence Day.
The sun was bright and skies clear this Fourth of July at Seattle Center. Red, white, and blue balloons fluttered in the light breeze as excited families gathered on the sprawling lawn of the park.
More than 400 people from at least 70 countries were there to take an oath and officially become U.S. citizens.
One of them was nursing assistant Clare Adabrer, originally from Ghana.
“The talent and hard work, we will bring it here and then also put it into the development and maybe improvements of some of aspects of the country,” said Adabrer, who is working to become a registered nurse.
Thursday was the 39th year that Seattle Center has hosted the naturalization ceremony. It was canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic.
The hundreds of new citizens come from nearly every country in the world. One of the highlights of the ceremony is when the names of each nation is read aloud, along with how many people are from there.
Whether it’s one person from Ireland or more than 30 from India, everyone gets a round of applause.
Some of the new citizens have lived here for years, like Tony from Argentina. He said he’s always wanted to finalize his citizenship, “because it's the best country in the world. There's no other. Why be a citizen of another country, you know? This is the best.”
Abena, who turns 12 years old next week, naturalized with her parents.
“My mom and my dad are immigrants from Ghana, West Africa,” Abena said, “I just like America, just living life the way I want to.”
A top priority for most of the new citizens — registering to vote ahead of November’s election. People were able to register immediately after the naturalization ceremony.
Despite everyone at the ceremony coming from a different place, Clare Adabrer said she felt connected to all of them there, now as an American.
“Becoming a citizen means how you are part of the community," she said. "'We,' I like that statement, 'We, the people of the United States of America.'"
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Casey Martin
Reporter
Casey Martin is a general assignment reporter who has covered everything from political protests to electric scooters. He is almost always out in the field where the news happens. Casey has reported on extremism, houselessness, politics and Seattle’s nightlife.
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