New York’s top jurist, Chief Judge Rowan Wilson of the New York Court of Appeals, welcomed 19 people to their first moments as Americans at a ceremony Wednesday in the Onondaga County Courthouse.
The 19 people included a Fort Drum soldier, two parents and their adult child and others who raised their right hands and swore allegiance to America, ending a process in which they gave up citizenship in the nation of their birth to become Americans.
Immigrants renew and revitalize the country, Wilson said. “Immigration is our origin story and for more than two centuries, it's remained at the core of our national character. It's our oldest tradition. It's who we are. It's part of what makes us exceptional.”
Wilson offered a thumbnail sketch of the history of immigration in America, from the founding fathers whose families immigrated here, as he said, without permission or quotas, to Thomas Jefferson’s comment that rapid immigration to America was critical to building the country, to President Johnson’s signing of the Immigration and Nationality Act, to Ronald Reagan’s anecdote about meeting a man who said you could travel to any European country but could not become a citizen of that country while you can come to America and become a citizen.
He also recounted darker episodes in the national history with immigration, including the 1882 act barring any immigration from China and the internment of Japanese American citizens during World War II.
“What is painfully clear from our 250 years of history is this nation has many times failed to extend the promised welcome to those who come from other lands and desire to join us,” Wilson said. “While at other times have extended a genuine welcome in the truest sense of the word.”
Wilson did not directly discuss the current immigration situation, but hinted at it as he told the new Americans that New York’s courts would safeguard their rights and the rights of those who are not citizens.
Among the inductees was Aime Ingiranesa, a unit supply specialist for the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum near Watertown. He and his family left Burund
i for America. “I am satisfied. I have a peace on my heart,” he said.
He and the other inductees posed for pictures with Wilson, holding their new certificates of citizenship, as a harpist played patriotic songs.
