SAN ANTONIO – Dozens of immigrants in San Antonio took their oaths and became American citizens on the nation’s 241st birthday.
Fifty people were sworn in during the Independence Day naturalization ceremony at the Old Bexar County Courthouse.
“I’ve already been in the United States for 30 years, but now I'm very happy because I am (a) citizen. And it's a wonderful day for July Fourth,” said Elias Bernal.
“It's an honor, honestly, to be sworn in on the day the United States was free from Great Britain. I think it's absolutely fantastic,” said Carlos Miranda.
Bernal and Miranda are just two of the 15,000 new U.S. citizens who took their oaths across the country on Tuesday.
"I've built all my life here in the United States, and I'm just, I'm eager to be part of this society. And I just want to be a good, contributing American, so that's why I did it,” Miranda said.
“(Citizenship) opens a lot of opportunity, and in America, your freedom, like other country don't have. And this is just a beautiful country,” said Noemi Lolatte, a new U.S. citizen.
Lolatte is originally from the Philippines. Those who took the oath alongside her were from Burma, Vietnam, South Korea, El Salvador, Mexico and Nicaragua, among other places.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is encouraging those who took their oath on Tuesday to share their happiness on social media, using #newuscitizen and #july4th.