Having passed a test and met other requirements, 41 people, born in approximately 26 different nations ranging alphabetically from A to Z, stood in the main federal courtroom in Statesboro, raised their right hands, repeated an oath and became citizens of the United States of America the afternoon of Wednesday, March 13, 2024.

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia also has courtrooms in Augusta, Brunswick, Dublin, Savannah and Waycross. Naturalization ceremonies are normally held annually in some of the District Court’s divisions, but Chief Judge J. Randall Hall, who presided at the ceremony, noted this was the first one held here in a long, long time.

“I am delighted today that we are in Statesboro,” Hall announced. “I was told that this is the first naturalization ceremony in Statesboro in over 40 years and the first one in this federal courthouse, so this is an historic day for our Statesboro Division. Naturalization ceremonies are perhaps the most pleasant events in federal court. For me there is no honor greater than presiding over a naturalization ceremony, since citizenship is our most precious national possession.”

The new citizens were guided to this significant moment from across a wider region by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, or USCIS, field office in Charleston, South Carolina. But several were from nearby, including at least one has already made his home in Statesboro, another whose family has hailed from Swainsboro for the past 16 years, another from Guyton, and still others from Hinesville – where U.S. Army soldiers who were born in other lands, as well as Army spouses who are immigrants, often settle as new Americans.

“The reason that we are here today is because you love this nation so much that you were willing to follow the law and go through a lengthy and sometimes difficult process to citizenship,” Hall said to the candidates for citizenship as the ceremony began.

He told them they are “much like the men, women and children who left Plymouth, England in 1620 on a ship named Mayflower seeking a better life in America.”

From A to Z

Brian Mercer, USCIS field officer, presented the petitions for citizenship and motion for admission, first calling on the immigrants to stand as individuals or groups as he  named these countries of origin: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Canada, China, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Germany, India, Indonesia, Iran, Jamaica,  Kenya, South Korea, Liberia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Poland, Singapore, Syria, Tawain, Thailand, Ukraine, the  United Kingdom, Venezuela, Vietnam  and Zimbabwe.

In introductory remarks the judge referred to 42 candidates for citizenship, and that many were listed on the program. Mercer in his motion for admission said he was presenting 41 candidates, and it wasn’t obvious whether anyone stood up for one of the 26 countries of origin listed.

“Each of the candidates has been interviewed by an officer of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services and, unless exempted by law, demonstrated the ability to read, write and speak words of the English language,” Mercer said, formally presenting the candidates to the judge. “In addition, each has demonstrated his or her knowledge and understanding of the history and the principles and form of government of the United States.”

In general, to qualify for naturalization, an immigrant age 18 or over must be a legal resident for at least five years, or at least three years if married to a U.S. citizen. Non-citizens who join a branch of the U.S. military and are lawful permanent residents at the time of their naturalization interview can become U.S. citizens after serving honorably for at least one year in the U.S. armed forces. A brochure about the steps to naturalization and other information about citizenship and legal residency can be found at www.uscis.gov. Another source is https://citizenpath.com/

Local new citizens

Weikang “Ken” Wang, originally from China, was the one confirmed Statesboro resident among the newly naturalized citizens. Now in his second year as a lecturer on management in the Parker College of Business at Georgia Southern University, he previously taught for 14 years at Northwood University in Michigan. He attained his bachelor’s degree at Anhui University in China, his Master of Science at Washington State University and his Master of Business Administration at Henderson University.

“Wonderful,” said Wang, now almost 65, when asked how it felt to become a U.S. citizen.

“I’ve been admiring this country for a long time; even my daughter’s middle name means ‘George Washington,’” he said, “and I admire George Washington as the founder of this country. He won the vote but he voluntarily retired and gave up the office. Remarkable! No politician had ever done that in history.”

Wang first came to the United States in 1987, then returned to the China in 1994, working for an American company, before returning to stay in 2007.

“It’s a long process, but I enjoyed it,” he said of the steps leading up to the naturalization ceremony, and specifically of his study of U.S. history and geography. The test included 100 questions, but he said he already knew the answers to about 60 before he started studying specifically for it.

His wife, “Hope” Xuhong Zhang, a lawful permanent resident, was with him, and their daughter “Melody” Shengy (“Washington”) Knopf Wang, now lives in Michigan.

Another of the nearby new citizens, Bevelin Lim Ooi, 44, has resided at Swainsboro for 16 years with her husband Chu Lin Ooi. Both are originally from Singapore, a densely populated, economically advanced island city-nation in Southeast Asia.

“We love the space here and the freedoms we have,” he said.

He attained his citizenship just three or four months ago but had to go all the way to Atlanta for his naturalization ceremony.

“So, it’s a blessing to be able to come local, here to Statesboro, just 30-plus miles away,” said Chu Lin Ooi, after seeing his wife become a U.S. citizen here.

They first came to Swainsboro on a visa to help a friend, who had been a missionary to Singapore, with his business. They remain active with Harvester Baptist Church, which has a continuing outreach to Singapore. Now Mr. Ooi is employed with the city of Swainsboro, while Mrs. Ooi is a homemaker, taking care of their seven children, all of whom were born in the United States and so are birthright citizens. She homeschools those old enough to be students, but the pupils became tutors as their mother prepared for the citizenship test.

“We sat down and quizzed Mom over and over again,” said oldest son Daniel Ooi, 15.

Princess Ann Abarra, who is originally from the Philippines and now lives in Hinesville, became a citizen through the special military process. “It was free, and it was fast,” she said.

Abarra, whose husband, also an immigrant, and two young children accompanied her to celebrate her achievement, so far has served almost three years in the U.S. Army. She said the actual naturalization process through studying, taking the test and completing the interview, took about three months.

Pledge and oath

Judge Hall had all citizens present join the new ones in saying the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. But only the new citizens took the Oath of Allegiance, administered by Courtroom Deputy Clerk Lisa Widener, in which they “absolutely and entirely” renounced “all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty” of which they had previously been subjects or citizens and vowed to “support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States.”

The Bulloch County Bar Association, the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Statesboro Service League hosted a reception for the new citizens and their families in the courthouse lobby. Leaders of the local DAR, the Rotary Club of Statesboro, the Downtown Statesboro Rotary Club and a staff member representing Congressman  Rick  Allen, R-Georgia 12th District, all offered welcoming remarks to the new citizens inside the courtroom.

“I welcome each and every one of you to America. …,” said DAR Archibald Bulloch Chapter Regent Brenda O’Quinn. “I understand the struggle that you have gone through to be here, and I want you to know that we, your fellow Americans, think highly of you and wish that you will enjoy our country, which is now your country, as much as we do.”