Pocatello welcomes 22 new U.S. citizens

Twenty-two immigrants from 14 countries took the Oath of Allegiance and became U.S. citizens Wednesday afternoon at the Pocatello Courthouse.

The twenty-two people come from various countries such as, Bhutan, Burma, Cameroon, Canada, Columbia, Dominican Republic, Eritrea, Germany, Guatemala, India, Mexico, Nepal, Philippines and Romania.

Southeast Idaho Daughters of the American Revolution and the League of Women Voters, were also part of the ceremony. Andrew VanSickle of Highland High School started the ceremony with the National Anthem.

After the ceremony, new citizens were invited to ring the Liberty Bell replica outside the courthouse.

“To become a citizen, it’s hard to explain. Feels so confident to be on the land of the free. A dream come true to me,” said Saw La Moo, from Burma, who achieved his U.S. citizenship Wednesday.

Naturalization is the process by which U.S. citizenship is conferred upon foreign citizens or nationals after they fulfill the requirements established by Congress. Naturalized citizens enjoy nearly all the same benefits, rights and responsibilities that the Constitution gives to native-born U.S. citizens, including the right to vote.

Throughout the fiscal year of 2015, 729,995 immigrants were naturalized, 1449 of them were in Idaho. The Pocatello courthouse holds three naturalization ceremonies a year, as there were a total of 69 new citizens just last year.