Fourteen newly minted United States citizens were sworn in at the Edgartown Courthouse on Friday, in the first group citizen naturalization ceremony in the building’s 150-year history. Children, spouses and friends from on-Island and around the commonwealth waved miniature American flags and snapped photos as participants took their oath of citizenship.
New citizens that morning were born in eight different countries, from Ireland to Malaysia, Jamaica to Brazil. All now live in Massachusetts, and two have made permanent homes on Martha’s Vineyard.
After a performance of the National Anthem, Dukes County clerk of courts T. George Davis led the group in the oath of allegiance.
“I absolutely and entirely, renounce and abjure,” he said, and they repeated, “all allegiance and fidelity, to any foreign prince, potentate, state or sovereignty of whom of which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen.”
Following the oath, Justice Elaine Buckley spoke to the crowd.
“This is such an exciting day for everyone in this courtroom,” she said. “The journey of migration to a new country is one of the most courageous acts than and individual can undertake, and today we celebrate that courage. We welcome you to citizenship.”
Ms. Buckley gave special recognition to Algassi Amaro Julio Jr. from Brazil and Xavier Fabian Abarca from Ecuador, both of whom serve in the U.S. armed forces.
After the pledge of allegiance, each new citizen received their certificate.
Denis Riordan, district director for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration services, also spoke.
Clerk of courts T. George Davis leads the oath of allegiance.
— Mark Alan Lovewell
“We’re not giving you these certificates, you earned them, you made a lot of sacrifices,” he said. “Because of your success, our country is a better place, we have a better future.”
After many rounds of applause, the citizens began to file out of the courtroom. For Madalena Castelli, from Brazil, the trip home would not take very long: for about 20 years now, she has been living in Oak Bluffs.
“It feels really good to be a citizen,” she said, as her Connecticut-born husband, Christopher, cheered her on, holding several mini American flags in each hand.
