24 new citizens sworn in to start ABA House of Delegates session
U.S. District Judge Marvin Aspen administers the oath
of U.S. citizenship. Photo courtesy of ABA Media Services.
Rather than receiving welcome from a prominent politician, the ABA House of Delegates welcomed 24 new Americans on Monday.
Twenty-four immigrants from 19 countries were sworn in as citizens at the beginning of its session at the 2014 ABA Midyear Meeting in Chicago.
U.S. District Judge Marvin Aspen, himself a son of immigrants, appeared in robes to administer the oath of U.S. citizenship. His remarks underscored the importance of immigrants to our national history and called on the new Americans to protect and perpetuate—as well as enjoy—the Constitution.
“Because of this transfusion of new blood, our nation grows even stronger and more committed to stay the course of democratic rule,” he said. ”This is the blessing that immigration has served us as a nation.”
After the swearing-in, a keynote speech by ABA President James Silkenat took up those themes.
“As lawyers and judges, our passion is to maintain [America’s] freedoms,” he said. “Guided by the rule of law, we are inspired to be a country of equity and opportunity rather than despair and division.”
After the ceremony, there was a reception for the new citizens and their families and friends. Silkenat, ABA president-elect nominee William Hubbard and ABA executive director Jack Rives visited to offer their congratulations. A delegate from Washington, D.C., was on hand to offer voter registration forms to the new citizens.
One was filled out by Gidi Uzan, who is the youngest of three siblings who immigrated to the United States, and the last to become a U.S. citizen. Uzan, originally from Israel, is married to a Chicagoan whose uncle is running for a judgeship—making his family very concerned about registering him before the March election.
After filling out his voter registration form, Uzan was headed to the Chicago Passport Agency to apply for a new passport. The goal was to be ready in time for a belated honeymoon—no longer complicated by travel restrictions on green card holders.
