INDEPENDENCE, Mo. - Juan Vallez Herrera has been in the United States as a permanent resident for more than a decade. Today he joined 50 people in Independence that marked this Citizen’s Day by becoming citizens of our country.
They took their oath at the Truman Presidential Library after completing the naturalization process. The men and women naturalized Thursday came from several different countries like Algeria, Ethiopia, Thailand, Poland, and Mexico like Herrera.
As part of the process, each new citizen had to first take an oral civics test. They answered ten out of one hundred possible questions. Herrera admits he didn’t pass his test the first time; he needed the help of his wife and 4th grade child to study.
“It was hard,” says his wife, Esther Vallez, looking at their 4th grader. “He helped me out a lot. He knew a lot of them; I now think I’m not smarter than a fourth grader!”
At Thursday’s ceremony, each new citizen received a certificate of their accomplishment and stood to announce what country they came from.
Their friends and family clapped, cheered, and took pictures. For the Vallez family, today is a big step forward. “Now we’re going to try to get his mom here,” Vallez said. “Juan hasn’t seen her in a long time, He misses his mother. I’m just glad today is over.”
But for all, becoming a citizen was a joy. “I’m just so happy because I want to stay here, I love this country and I wanted to be one,” said Liliana Guzman.
If you'd like to take a look at the test these new citizens had to pass, click here.
