Pledging Allegiance : Natives of Many Countries Join Under One Flag

Proudly reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, 800 people became U.S. citizens Friday in a ceremony where they were urged to exercise their newly attained right to vote.

After a swearing-in ceremony at the Sequoia Athletic Club in Buena Park, some of the new citizens couldn’t keep from smiling, others cheered and a few dashed off to the post office to register as new voters.

Among the new citizens were 233 people who emigrated from Vietnam, 153 from Mexico, 60 from Korea, 48 from Iran and 39 from the Philippines. The youngest new citizen was 7-month-old Shelby Lynn Wong, who was adopted in China four months ago by U.S. citizens Janice and Douglas Wong.

“We were born here and we figured the sooner our baby became a citizen, the better,” said Janice Wong of Whittier.

Maria Guadalupe Gaudarilla de Garcia, 72, who emigrated from Mexico 35 years ago, Nancy Nguyen, 18, who came from Vietnam in 1975, and Jacob Galba-Bright, 48, who emigrated from West Africa in 1986, were citizens for about an hour when they headed off to register to vote and apply for U.S. passports.

“I can’t wait to vote for Republicans,” Galba-Bright said.

Garcia said she plans to vote for Democrats.

Gilardo Davila Salazar, 40, who moved to Santa Ana from Colombia 15 years ago, said he also will vote.

“Voting is very important, if you want to change the system and contribute to the well-being of this country,” he said.

Han Kap Lee, 81, who emigrated from South Korea in 1978, agreed. He said he had to postpone applying for citizenship status for years because of health problems. But now, his dream has come true, and he said he will share his story and stress the importance of voting with his grandchildren.

Though some immigrants become citizens in order to be able to bring relatives and other loved ones to the United States, many more are doing it for the right to vote, according to Immigration and Naturalization Service officials.

The wave of anti-immigrant sentiment sweeping the country prompted Martin R. Lugueno to apply for citizenship, he said.

“Now I can register to vote,” said Lugueno, 33, a 14-year Orange resident who emigrated from Mexico. “With my vote, I will have a voice against all the laws that are discriminatory and racist.”

The passage last November of Proposition 187, the anti-illegal immigration initiative, is “causing a lot of people to want to vote,” said Robert Kettle, an INS officer. “Resident aliens are asking, ‘How can we get a voice to be heard?’ The answer is to vote. But you can’t register to vote if you’re not a citizen.”

According to the INS, more than 2,000 people in Southern California apply for citizenship daily. The number of applications has tripled in the past five years, Kettle said.

The average wait to become a U.S. citizen is one year, and applicants must fill out lengthy documents, be interviewed by INS officials, pass a test on U.S. government and history and promise to serve and defend the country, Kettle said.

Greg Chilecki, 36, who moved to Orange from Poland in 1981, said he is up for his new citizenship.

“Everyone should be a citizen,” said Chilecki, the first in his family to become a U.S. citizen. “You can get more benefits and it’s a great opportunity to express your voice” at the ballot box.

Lucy Gonzalez, 52, who emigrated from Mexico 26 years ago, said she will use her new status to apply for a job in a government agency such as the Department of Motor Vehicles or the INS.

To Thien Hoang Lammy, 43, who emigrated from Vietnam in 1986, being a U.S. citizen is something to be proud of and grateful for.

“I love America because over here, I can have anything I want and all I have to do is work hard,” the Garden Grove resident said.

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Citizen Gain

The county’s 800 new citizens originate from 58 countries, with half from Vietnam or Mexico. Whence they arrived:

Country Percent Vietnam 30% Mexico 20 Korea 8 Iran 6 Philippines 5 Taiwan 4 India 3 China 2 Others 22

Source: Immigration and Naturalization Service