Photo by Eric Ayres Jean Mathews and Ajay Kumar Aluri of Morgantown – originally from India – pose with their 2-year-old daughter, Anya, and U.S. Magistrate Judge James P. Mazzone on Friday following a naturalization ceremony in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia in Wheeling. Aluri was one of 36 people who became a U.S. citizen during Friday’s ceremony. Mathews obtained her citizenship earlier this year.

WHEELING — Thirty six new U.S. citizens — hailing from a total of 23 different home countries around the world — took the Oath of Allegiance on Friday in U.S. District Court in Wheeling.

Family members and friends gathered at the Federal Building on Friday for a naturalization ceremony in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia. U.S. Magistrate Judge James P. Mazzone presided over the ceremony.

The three dozen participants arrived at the Federal Building as immigrants, and they walked out waving small American flags and beaming with patriotic pride. Most of the new U.S. citizens have already been residing in the United States — and in many cases, in the state of West Virginia — for quite some time, taking the necessary steps toward naturalization.

Immigration Services Officer Joseph Mann, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, made a motion on the petition for citizenship for the group, and Mazzone ruled in favor of the motion. Courtroom Deputy Clerk Lauren Murphy administered the Oath of Allegiance.

“By the authority vested in me as a United States magistrate judge, I hereby declare that each of you are citizens of the United States of America — congratulations,” said Mazzone, causing the room to erupt in boisterous applause.

Mann presented each participant with their official certificate of citizenship.

Home nations represented by those participating in Friday’s ceremony included Brazil, Burma, Cameroon, Canada, China, Congo (Kinshasa), El Salvador, Ethiopia, France, India, Ireland, Jamaica, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Philippines, Sudan, Thailand, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Vietnam, Yemen and Zimbabwe.

A number of speakers addressed the group during the upbeat and often heartwarming ceremony. Former U.S. Congressman David B. McKinley noted the many different corners of the world that were represented by each new citizen.

“Such diversity should not go unnoticed,” McKinley said. “I want to first congratulate all of you and personally thank you for becoming American citizens the correct way, respectfully going through this laborious and bureaucratic process.”

America is one of the few nations in the world begun by immigrants, said McKinley, noting that even Native Americans have ancestors who came to the Americas by migrating across the Bering Strait from Asia many ages ago.

McKinley added that while the United States offers great opportunities, being an American has not been easy in recent years. Increasing divisive rhetoric and gradual decline in civility and bipartisanship resulted in the recent, longest government shutdown in the nation’s history, he noted.

“I’m asking you to take part in writing the next chapter of our American history,” McKinley said. “Help us break down the barriers between our ideologies and encourage genuine, official political discourse. Together we can demonstrate that America is truly an exceptional nation where we can have our differences but still respect one another.”

Sue Abraham of the Daughters of the American Revolution said she wished all of the new citizens the best in the pursuit of their dreams in their new home country.

“We are honored that you have joined with us and that we together can proudly proclaim ‘I am an American,'” she said. “We understand that you will always have a special place in your heart for the land of your birth, but it is our earnest hope that as an American citizen, you will find fulfillment of your quest for greater liberty and opportunity here. America welcomes you as her new sons and daughters, and hopes you will achieve your dreams for yourselves and your loved ones.

Dino Figaretti spoke on behalf of U.S. Rep. Riley Moore (R-W.Va.), and Gary Timmons spoke on behalf of the George Washington Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution. Speakers reflected on the vastly different journeys taken by Americans’ ancestors to get here.

“While illegal immigration continues to dominate media news coverage, you all have followed the law and went about becoming citizens the proper and legal way,” Timmons said. “I’m sure it wasn’t always easy, but you are to be commended for what you have accomplished.”

Timmons researched his family history, part of which has roots in Germany. He told a story about finding a treasured certificate of citizenship — from Oct. 9, 1876 — of his great grandfather, found in the bottom of an old chest in his mother’s attic. It was a document that was kept safe through generations.

“Of our many duties here in district court, this ceremony is one of our favorites,” Mazzone told the group. “You are now a part of what is often referred to as ‘The American Experiment,’ which has endured and thrived for approximately 250 years. It has been an unstoppable and unmatched force for good throughout the entire world. I welcome you home now, my fellow Americans.”

During the ceremony, a video message from President Donald Trump was presented. Trump described American citizenship “one of the most priceless gifts” and congratulated the group on this great honor.

“I welcome you into our national family,” the president said. “No matter where you come from, you now share a home and a heritage with some of the most exceptional heroes, legends and patriots to ever walk the face of the Earth. All of the triumphs and glories of American history now belong to you.”

Trump told the new citizens that the nation is now theirs to help build, and he encouraged them to do just that. The group applauded the president’s welcoming message.

Among the new citizens was Ajay Kumar Aluri, who was joined by his family, wife Jean Mathews and their daughter, 2-year-old Anya. Aluri is a professor at West Virginia University’s John Chambers College of Business and Economics, where he has taught for the past 15 years.

“I came to the United States in 2005, so it’s been 20 years living here. For 20 years, it’s been my home,” Aluri explained, noting that he originally came to the United States to work on his master’s degree. He studied at the University of Oklahoma and pursued his Ph.D.

Aluri and Mathews both migrated from India separately in the same year, and later met in America while attending church. They married in 2008 and have lived in the Morgantown area for over a decade now.

Their daughter was born in the United States and is a citizen by birthright, but both parents had been going through the process of becoming U.S. citizens themselves for a number of years. Mathews became a citizen earlier this year.

Aluri said they moved to West Virginia in 2011 for work at WVU. His status as visiting faculty saw him staying on a work permit until 2012, then he got a work visa through 2019. He was then able to get a green card and eventually apply for citizenship.

“It is a process,” he said. “You have to be on the green card for five years before you qualify for citizenship. In the fifth year, you are eligible to apply for citizenship through naturalization.”

Aluri said he had to go to an interview in May as part of the many steps.

“Jean and I, we’ve dedicated our life to this country,” Aluri said. “Personally, this has had a wonderful impact. My passion is teaching — my calling is teaching. So teaching the next generation of students, the next generation of leaders in the business school, it’s an opportunity for me to be here. So I kind of feel like I found my purpose and calling in this country.”

Aluri said he has been living in the United States for so long, there are some significant adjustments to be made when he visits family in India.

“My close family is in India,” he said. “They preferred staying in India. I do have a lot of family here, too.”

His accent, preferences for food and culture have changed over the past two decades living in the U.S., Aluri noted.

“For 20 years, this country, the culture, the traditions and laws have all influenced who I am now, more so than back home in India. This becomes your home,” Aluri said. “Living 20 years in this country — and not even as a citizen but as an immigrant — is an honor. You feel lucky to be part of that whole process.”

During Friday’s ceremony, The Rev. Penumaka Manikyalarao of St. Joseph Cathedral, who noted that he, too, is a naturalized U.S. citizen, delivered the opening prayer and closing benediction. Students from Wheeling Central Catholic’s Concert Choir performed renditions of “The Star Spangled Banner” and “America the Beautiful.”

Now that citizenship has been achieved, all of the new citizens were reminded that with freedom comes great responsibility, and they were all encouraged to work together to build a better future for the country. Officials noted that one of the first things they can now do as U.S. citizens was to go to their local board of elections and register to vote in the next election.