Promoted to Rank of Citizen

Before 216 sailors and Marines were sworn in Wednesday as new U.S. citizens, there were emotional references to noncitizens who weren’t at the ceremony -- ones who were killed or wounded while serving with the U.S. military during the war in Iraq.

“Freedom and democracy do not come easily,” said U.S. District Court Judge Leo S. Papas at the ceremony on the flight deck of the carrier Constellation. “By putting yourself in harm’s way, you are deserving of our praise.”

The new citizens, some of whom had begun the application process before the war and the most recent changes in the citizenship process, came from 42 countries. The most heavily represented countries were the Philippines and Mexico, but some new citizens came from Nigeria, Haiti and Cuba.

“You have already demonstrated the honor, courage and sense of commitment to become great citizens,” Capt. John W. Miller, commanding officer of the aircraft carrier, told the new citizens.

The move to assist military personnel in becoming citizens was accelerated this year as the U.S. prepared to strike Iraq, especially after news stories about noncitizens being among the first killed and injured. Several legislators submitted bills to make the process quicker, easier and less expensive

Eduardo Aguirre, director of the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services in the Department of Homeland Security, said one of his first duties in his new job was awarding citizenship posthumously to two Marines from Southern California who were killed in Iraq.

Aguirre, a naturalized American from Cuba, said that he was “deeply saddened, knowing that they [the two Marines] would never be able to exercise the rights and privileges that come with citizenship -- rights and privileges they died defending.”

After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States, the Bush administration first moved in late 2001 to streamline the citizenship application process for immigrants serving in the military. Similar moves were taken by presidents during previous wars.

Immigrants have served in the U.S. military since before the Civil War. Some of the most celebrated combat units were made up of immigrants and first-generation Americans eager to show their dedication to their adopted home. By some accounts, 20% of the recipients of the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military award, have been immigrants.

An estimated 5% of the military is made up of immigrants or naturalized citizens, Asa Hutchinson, undersecretary for border and transportation security in the Department of Homeland Security, told the early morning audience.

And an estimated one out of five of noncitizens serving in the U.S. military have applied for citizenship, officials said. In one of the largest mass swearing-in ceremonies, 47 sailors from the carrier Abraham Lincoln became citizens in a ceremony at the Cabrillo National Monument here in late April as their ship returned after service in the Persian Gulf.

Hutchinson called on the new citizens to “make this country strong.” One benefit of becoming a citizen is that the sailors and Marines can now apply to become officers or to join elite units such as the Navy SEALs that are off-limits to noncitizens.

But thoughts of career enhancement did not appear uppermost in the minds of the 216, some of whom had waited years to become citizens while the process moved slowly.

Under recent changes, each military branch has designated employees to guide the enlisted person through the process and make sure his or her paperwork does not become lost during transfer or deployment abroad. Also, the three-year waiting period has been dropped.

“It’s not like I’m forgetting Mexico, but I’m all-American now,” said Marine Lance Cpl. Andres Sandoval.

“It feels great, even better than I expected,” said sailor Diuseye Adesegun of Nigeria.