This event is closed to the public and is by invitation only. A livestream will be available on the Woodrow Wilson School's YouTube account.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Newark District Director John E. Thompson will administer the Oath of Allegiance to America’s newest citizens during a special naturalization ceremony at Princeton University.
Forty-six people from 28 countries — from Belarus to South Korea, Latvia to Ghana — will take the oath and become U.S. citizens in Dodds Auditorium, Robertson Hall, at Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.
University President Christopher L. Eisgruber will give opening remarks and welcome the citizenship candidates to the ceremony. Lynne Johnson, Regina Leidy and Nancy McCollough, staff members of the Woodrow Wilson School, will perform The Star-Spangled Banner.
“As a university deeply committed to being a place of welcome for students, faculty and staff from all over the world, and as a member of a historic community that played a role in the founding of our nation, Princeton is proud to be hosting this special ceremony for our newest citizens,” Eisgruber said.
The new citizens, including two Princeton University professors and one student, hail from 27 towns in New Jersey. They will hear remarks from Princeton Mayor Liz Lempert after taking the oath.
The citizenship candidates originate from the following 31 countries: Albania, Bangladesh, Belarus, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Ghana, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Japan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Nigeria, Philippines, Poland, Russia, Singapore, Slovak Republic, South Africa, South Korea, Spain and United Kingdom.
To highlight the importance of U.S. citizenship, USCIS often participates in special ceremonies to increase public awareness of the U.S. citizenship process. In fiscal year 2016, USCIS welcomed 752,772 citizens during naturalization ceremonies across the United States and around the world. In New Jersey, 40,517 new citizens were naturalized in FY2016.
USCIS encourages new citizens and guests to share their naturalization ceremony experiences and photos through social media, using the hashtag #newUScitizen. For more information on USCIS and its programs, visit www.uscis.gov or follow on Twitter (@uscis), YouTube (/uscis) and Instagram (@USCIS).
WHO:
Christopher L. Eisgruber, President, Princeton University
Dr. John E. Thompson, USCIS Newark District Director
Liz Lempert, Mayor of Princeton
Ya-Mei Chen, Field Office Director, USCIS Mount Laurel
Keith Dorr, Supervisory Immigration Services Officer, USCIS