For Shawndail McLaren, becoming a United States citizen on Wednesday was about participating in American democracy.
“I’m married. I’ve got two kids,” said the 30-year-old, who left Jamaica a decade ago to study at Purdue University. “I just want to exercise my right to get an opportunity to vote and participate being a citizen.”
McLaren was one of 222 people from 48 countries who took the Oath of Allegiance during a naturalization ceremony at Carmel’s Allied Solutions Center for the Performing Arts. The group filled the auditorium floor, buzzing with excitement beneath a glow of red, white and blue lights.
The ceremony, administered by Judge James R. Sweeney of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, also served as an early celebration of the U.S.’s 250th birthday.
“So, my fellow Americans, again, congratulations and welcome to the family. You are now a part of the dream that is called America — a 250-year experiment in governance by the people and for the people,” Sweeney told the crowd. “We are so proud of you, so fortunate and honored to call you Americans.”
The Indiana Wind Symphony and the Indiana National Guard Band performed the Star-Spangled Banner.
While some new citizens waited only months for the moment, others waited nearly six decades. Jessenia Arevalo, 36, said it was a 19-year journey to citizenship after leaving El Salvador.
“I want to be a part of this country,” Arevalo said. “I want to vote in the next election. I want to be part of this beautiful country.”
Nitesh Tripathi, 25, came from Nepal and currently serves in the U.S. Army. He said he hopes to become an officer now that he is a citizen and, later, a cybersecurity officer with the Department of Defense.
“Everybody there was excited,” Tripathi said of his fellow new citizens. “I think it was maybe somebody’s — almost everybody’s — dream come true.”
Lorena Caballero, a 46-year-old from El Salvador, said she was looking forward to a better life now that she has U.S. citizenship: Iit will be easier to get a job and to visit her home country.
“It’s not easy. It’s a long way,” Caballero said of the citizenship journey.
The event was the seventh naturalization ceremony at the event center in Carmel — an Indianapolis suburb recently selected for a new U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office.
Voter registration drive
The focus on civic participation continued after the ceremony ended. People spilled into the foyers, where the League of Women Voters of Indianapolis and the Marion County Board of Voters Registration helped people register to vote.
Barbara Tully, with the League, said her organization works to provide nonpartisan, trustworthy information to counter election disinformation.
“Everybody deserves good, unbiased, nonpartisan information on elections,” she said. “There’s so much disinformation and misinformation out there, and we are working to counter that.”
The outreach appeared effective. About 178 new citizens — or about 80% of the group — registered to vote after the ceremony, according to the Carmel center spokesperson Scott Hall.
The deadline to register to vote in Indiana’s next election, the May 5 primary, is April 6.
Indiana has recently enacted new laws related to registration and voting, including requiring proof of citizenship. State leaders have sought to root out voting by noncitizens, even though it is rare.
During the ceremony, Judge Sweeney paraphrased Mexican poet Octavio Paz, telling the new citizens that they are now defined by what they will do for their country.
“For centuries, the word American has designated a person who was defined not by what he or she had done, but by what they would do. You are all capable of doing great things, and we expect as much of you, for it is the common citizen that makes this country great,” Sweeney said. “Thank you all for your perseverance.”
At a ceremony in Indianapolis last December, 38 immigrants who completed the naturalization process were turned away.
WFYI is reporting on the local impacts of immigration policy. If you have a tip or want to get in touch, contact data journalist Zak Cassel at zcassel@wfyi.org
