Wednesday, September 7: 35 immigrants became citizens of the United States at a ceremony held in Yellowstone National Park.
According to a Yellowstone press release, the 35 sworn in originated form 15 different countries: Burma, Canada, People’s Republic of China, Colombia, El Salvador, Mexico, Peru, Philippines, Spain, South Africa, Tonga, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and Yugoslavia.
The ceremony, presided over by U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark L. Carman for the District of Wyoming, took place at the base of the Mammoth Hot Springs terraces. From the press release:
Judge Carman presided over the naturalization ceremony which included family and friends, the national anthem sung acapella by National Park Service ranger Michael Breis, and a taped audio address by President Barack Obama. Guest speakers were Angela Barrows, Denver District Director of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, Yellowstone National Park Deputy Superintendent Steve Iobst, and Assistant US Attorney Lee Pico.
“The National Park Service is proud to partner with the US Citizenship and Immigration Services to host ceremonies like this in national parks around the country. America’s national parks belong to every American citizen. We invite you to visit, to learn, to volunteer, to have fun, and to join us in the stewardship of these places that were entrusted to the care of the National Park Service 100 years ago,” said Yellowstone National Park Deputy Superintendent Steve Iobst.
In our previous report on the ceremony, we noted the participants traveled to Yellowstone from their homes in Utah, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming.