News Release

July 3, 2012

USCIS to Welcome More Than 4,000 New Citizens
During Independence Day Celebrations

WASHINGTON— U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will commemorate America’s 236th birthday by welcoming more than 4,000 new citizens during special naturalization ceremonies held from June 28 through July 10 across the United States and overseas.

“Independence Day is a celebration of our nation’s proud history and hopeful future,” said USCIS Director Alejandro Mayorkas. “For the more than 4,000 immigrants who will naturalize, the occasion also marks an important milestone in their lives. They will take the Oath of Allegiance to become U.S. citizens, encompassing all the rights and responsibilities of citizenship enshrined in our founding documents.”

This year’s capstone ceremony will take place at the White House on July 4 where President Obama will welcome 25 armed services members from 17 different countries as new Americans. The celebration of citizenship will also include special naturalization ceremonies at the Independence Hall in Philadelphia; Comerica Park in Detroit; the National World War II Museum in New Orleans; George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens in Mount Vernon, Va.; Saguaro National Park in Tucson, Ariz.; and aboard the USS Constitution in Charlestown, Mass.

Keeping with USCIS’s commitment to the troops, more than 175 members of the U.S. armed forces will take the Oath of Allegiance to become citizens during six ceremonies for members of the U.S. armed forces at Kandahar Air Force Base, Afghanistan; U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan in Seoul, South Korea; Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas; Homestead-Miami Speedway in Florida.; the U.S. Ambassador’s Residence in Tegucigalpa, Honduras; and aboard the USS Midway Museum in San Diego.

For more information about USCIS and its programs, please visit www.uscis.gov or follow us on Twitter (@uscis), YouTube (/uscis) and the USCIS blog The Beacon.

View a list of 2012 Independence Day naturalization ceremonies within the News section of our website.