{"id":28,"date":"2026-05-11T20:07:48","date_gmt":"2026-05-11T20:07:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/massachusettsmovingnews.com\/?p=28"},"modified":"2026-05-11T20:07:48","modified_gmt":"2026-05-11T20:07:48","slug":"spirit-of-freedom-nearly-200-people-become-citizens-at-wmass-ceremony","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/massachusettsmovingnews.com\/?p=28","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Spirit of freedom\u2019: Nearly 200 people become citizens at WMass ceremony"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p>AMHERST \u2014 Rodrigo Almeida, his wife Olivia and their two sons, aged four and two, sat on the steps of Bowker Auditorium waving American flags as extended family took photographs of them.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/massachusettsmovingnews.com\/?p=26\">When is a culvert more than a culvert? When it\u2019s climate resilience in action<\/a><\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>Almeida, a Bedford resident originally from Brazil, said he has been going through the immigration process to become a citizen for three-and-a-half years. Now that the day was finally here, he was happy and relieved to be an American. <\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>\u201cThe U.S. received me as an immigrant, a worker, a father, and now, I\u2019m an American,\u201d he said with a smile on his face. \u201cThis country is about the spirit of freedom.\u201d <\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>Almeida was one of 193 people from more than 50 countries, including the Dominican Republic, Laos, Kazakhstan and Albania, who became American citizens Monday at the University of Massachusetts Amherst\u2019s fourth consecutive naturalization ceremony. <\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>In fiscal year 2024, almost 1 million people were naturalized, according to data from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>Loud cheers erupted from the crowd when Judge Elizabeth D. Katz, a bankruptcy judge for the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts, announced to a packed auditorium they were all now U.S. citizens.<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>\u201cWe all have stories to tell,\u201d said Katz. \u201cMy grandparents are Polish, Lithuanian and Russian. Here I am three generations later, a federal judge.\u201d <\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>Katz underscored the importance of voting \u2014 a right that democracy affords. \u201cVoting sends a message about what matters,\u201d she said. \u201cWithout voting, there is no democracy.\u201d <\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>Javier Reyes, chancellor of UMass Amherst, attended the ceremony. Reyes and his wife immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico more than 25 years ago \u2014 first going to Texas for a doctoral degree, then Arkansas to teach, before landing up in Massachusetts.<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>Reyes spoke of his journey to citizenship, reflecting on the challenges he and his wife faced and the perseverance it took to be sponsored for a green card and later apply for citizenship. <\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>\u201cI never would\u2019ve dreamed in 1998 that I\u2019d be a naturalized citizen in 2016,\u201d said Reyes, prompting the audience to cheer and applaud. <\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>Reyes acknowledged that it was a difficult time politically to become a citizen in 2016. And he said it is a fractured time in the country today.<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>For months, the Trump administration has been cracking down on immigration. The White House has boasted deporting 2.5 million people \u2014 1.9 million of whom self deported \u2014 since President Donald Trump took office a second time.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/massachusettsmovingnews.com\/?p=24\">Brad Paisley to perform at The Big E, three other New England shows<\/a><\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>The Associated Press reported that the Trump administration, while still aiming for lofty deportation goals, has appeared to have recalibrated its approach to immigration. The AP reported this month that the administration seems to be moving away from the aggressive tactics and shifting to a quieter approach.<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>\u201cSome of you might be feeling the same way today,\u201d Reyes told the packed auditorium. \u201cThe U.S. presents ideals of liberty; it\u2019s a tremendous honor to be part of America\u2019s story.\u201d <\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>Samira Fawel and members of her immediate family moved to the United States a decade ago from Ghana for better opportunities. <\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>Today, Fawel, 24, is an American citizen, joining her older brother, who serves in the U.S. Army. <\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>\u201cIt means everything to be American,\u201d she said with a bright smile. She wore a white dress and a cardigan with yellow and white flowers on it. <\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>\u201cMy mom didn\u2019t get to go to college. She didn\u2019t even get to finish high school. I did both,\u201d she said. \u201cI hope one day I can become a doctor.\u201d<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>Jessica and her parents, Mary and Simon \u2014 all of whom requested their last names not be used in the story \u2014 didn\u2019t travel far to get their citizenship. The three moved to Western Massachusetts from Canada 15 years ago. <\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>\u201cWe moved as a family,\u201d said Jessica. \u201cThis is the culture that adopted us and it\u2019s not so dissimilar to where we are from.\u201d <\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>Mary, Jessica\u2019s mother, said it is important for her to give back to the community that welcomed them so many years ago. Jessica said the path to citizenship was \u201ceasy, straightforward.\u201d <\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re privileged that it wasn\u2019t complicated,\u201d she said. \u201cIt took two years.\u201d <\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>Jessica said the timing to apply for citizenship didn\u2019t feel right until recently.<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>\u201cThese are difficult, important times, and we felt it was important to become citizens,\u201d she said. Simon, Jessica\u2019s father, chimed in that he is most looking forward to voting. \u201cThere is nothing standing in our way,\u201d Jessica said. <\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/massachusettsmovingnews.com\/?p=22\">Gunshots reported on Memorial Drive in Cambridge draws large police response<\/a><\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<section>\n<header>\n<h2>more news from Western Massachusetts<\/h2>\n<\/header>\n<ul>\n<li>When is a culvert more than a culvert? When it\u2019s climate resilience in action <\/li>\n<li>WMass college student suspended amid bathroom camera inquiry, officials say<\/li>\n<li>West Springfield police arrest teen, recover stolen assault-style weapon <\/li>\n<li>Community leaders, clergy praise Springfield police after federal oversight ends<\/li>\n<li>Abedrabu Abu Alyan: Ashes of my dream and lifetime (Viewpoint) <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/section>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>AMHERST \u2014 Rodrigo Almeida, his wife Olivia and their two sons, aged four and two, sat on the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":27,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-western-massachusetts"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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