A ceremony was held by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to celebrate the swearing in of 131 newly naturalized citizens on Sept. 21 at the Beale Memorial Library auditorium on Truxtun Avenue.

Those being sworn in hailed from a list of countries including: Colombia, The Dominican Republic, Egypt, El Salvador, Germany, Ghana, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Mexico, Pakistan, The Philippines, South Africa, Sweden, and Taiwan.

The standing-room-only event included a keynote speech delivered by congressman Kevin McCarthy, who urged the newly sworn citizens that the greatest gift their new country can give them is to be considered American, completely and equally.

“Being American is not passive,” said McCarthy, “Every citizen in every state, from the newest born to the oldest living, from the students to the laborers … everyone has an important and necessary calling in our great nation.”

After McCarthy’s speech, a group of children, who were also being sworn in as citizens, were brought on to the stage to lead in the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance.

As the ceremony ended, those who were sworn in formed a line on stage to receive their Certificate of Citizenship. Colefield Muretta, who was sworn in along with his wife, stated that after working toward gaining his United States citizenship for over five years, that the day was one of the happiest in his life.

“It’s like a dream come true,” said Muretta, after receiving his certificate.