Montclair Museum To Host Naturalization Ceremony For N.J. Immigrants

MONTCLAIR, NJ — Dozens of immigrants are about to get a fond welcome as official U.S. citizens… New Jersey style.

On Friday, June 2, the Montclair Art Museum (MAM) will host 24 new U.S. citizens at a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Naturalization Ceremony. The candidates’ Oath of Allegiance will be administered at 10 a.m. at Leir Hall on the museum grounds, a museum news release stated.

According to museum staff, the new citizens hail from the following countries: Bangladesh, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Germany, Ghana, Guyana, Haiti, India, Iran, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, Peru, Philippines, Sierra Leone, Syria and Uruguay.

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The soon-to-be citizens are now living in the following towns, according to the MAM:

• Montclair – 3 people
• Belleville - 3
• Newark - 4
• West Orange - 3
• East Orange - 2
• Orange - 2
• Paterson - 5
• Lyndhurst - 1
• Bayonne - 1

Montclair Mayor Robert Jackson will deliver keynote remarks during the ceremony. MAM’s Registrar Osanna Urbay, who immigrated to the United States from Cuba with her family in 1966 and became a U.S. citizen in 1972, will lead the Pledge of Allegiance. The Montclair Police Department Honor Guard will present colors.

“We are deeply honored that the museum will serve as a venue for this ceremony,” said Director Lora Urbanelli. “There is no better place to welcome new citizens than an institution that embodies and celebrates freedom of expression, one of our most fundamental American rights.”

• See related article: Montclair Art Lovers Should Worry About White House Budget, Museum Says

“We are grateful to be able to honor our new citizens in a space as beautiful and welcoming at the Montclair Art Museum,” said U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Newark Field Office Director Randi Borgen. “Nothing speaks to the welcoming spirit of New Jersey like the wonderful venues that host naturalization ceremonies.”

• See related article: Montclair Adopts ‘Welcoming Community’ Resolution To Protect Immigrants
• See related article: This Lawyer Used To Deport Immigrants; Now She Defends Them
• See related article: 5 Reasons Why Immigrants Make New Jersey Better

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Photo: Flickr Commons