The first thing Marvis Zou did after becoming a naturalized citizen on Friday was register to vote.
Zou, who immigrated from China 16 years ago at age 16, said that the privilege to vote is of utmost importance.
“It feels complicated to become a citizen under this administration,” Zou, who lives in Freedom, said. “It feels really heavy and light at the same time.”
Twenty people from 12 different countries became naturalized citizens on Friday morning at a citizenship ceremony in U.S. District Court of Maine in Bangor. The right to vote is what many of the United States’ newest citizens are most excited for — especially as the November midterms approach.
Administering the Naturalization Oath of Allegiance to the United States is a good reminder that the country is strengthened by immigrants, Judge Stacey Neumann said. Immigrants help grow the country’s conscience and creativity.
“Today you join a community bound not by a single language, ethnicity, or religion, but by a shared promise that a free and democratic nation can be strengthened by the talents, dreams, and hard work of people from all over the world,” Neumann said. “Your presence here shows that this promise endures.”
Barbara Ann Lewis has lived in the U.S. for 35 years, coming to the country from New Brunswick. She met her husband at the Loring Air Force Base around that time. Lewis, a nurse in Fort Fairfield, wanted to become a citizen because her children, grandchildren and immediate family are citizens.
Registering to vote was also her first step after the ceremony. She said she’s excited to vote, as is Jack Truong, who worked for five years to become a citizen.
The new citizens can run for local office and serve on a jury, but most importantly, they carry the demand to be informed and speak up to ensure others are treated with dignity and respect, Neumann said.
Immigrants have shaped the country and the newest citizens get to join those ranks, she said.
“Our history includes painful chapters, the exclusion of Chinese laborers, the incarceration of Japanese-American families, and the many moments when newcomers meet with suspicion instead of open doors,” Neumann said. “Yet again and again, America has returned to its core promise. We grow morally, economically, culturally when we choose inclusion over exclusion, hope over fear, and community over isolation.
“We become stronger when we recognize the dignity and potential of those who arrived at our shores.”
