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A total of 66 people from 29 countries pledged allegiance to the United States last Friday in a naturalization ceremony held at the Freedom Tower in Miami, the same building that decades ago opened its doors to more than 500,000 Cubans fleeing Fidel Castro's regime.
The event coincided with the celebrations of the 250th anniversary of the independence of the United States, which added further significance to each of the oaths pronounced under the vaults of the building.
According to Local 10, the new citizens sang the national anthem, recited the pledge of allegiance, and received American flags amidst applause.
Fabiola Pérez, a Mexican immigrant who arrived in Miami with her son Juan Pablo, did not hesitate to explain why she chose this city: "I said this is the best city in the United States. I said that if I live in the U.S., I want to live in Miami."
Her son, who hopes to obtain citizenship next year, already has his roadmap clear: "I would love to live the American dream in the sense of integrating into society, contributing, and working."
A Kenyan who works as a French teacher at a high school in Miami described the emotion of becoming a naturalized citizen on this historic anniversary: "I can't explain it, but I am filled with pride. I will be the proudest American when it happens," said Coco Wachli Banks.
Martha García, a Dominican who makes her living as a preschool teacher in North Miami, reflected on the journey she has taken to reach this moment: "I have achieved my goal here by working as a teacher. It's so exciting to help in the development of children. They are definitely the future. I don’t know why they chose me, but when I was told, I asked, 'Why me?' I don’t know what purpose this opportunity has for me. It’s so unique, and I am so grateful."
Despite their diverse backgrounds, all the new citizens shared a common denominator during the ceremony: gratitude for the opportunity to become Americans and faith in the dream that brought them here.
The Tower of Liberty, built in 1925 and inspired by the Giralda of Seville, is known as the "Ellis Island of the South." It was opened on July 1, 1962 by the Kennedy administration as a Cuban Refugee Assistance Center, and between that year and 1974, it welcomed over half a million Cubans fleeing the dictatorship, providing them with food, medical care, and legal guidance.
The building was declared a National Historic Monument in 2008 and currently belongs to Miami Dade College, which transformed it into the headquarters of the Museum of Art and Design.
The ceremony took place during a period of particular immigration tension. The Trump administration has tightened naturalization processes, proposed increasing the cost of the citizenship application by up to 80%—from $710 to $1,280—and instructed immigration authorities to process between 100 and 200 denaturalization cases per month, significantly above the historical average of 11.
On June 5th, a federal court declared the policies that halted asylum and citizenship applications for nationals from 39 countries, including Cuba, Venezuela, and Haiti, to be illegal, and ordered the resumption of the procedures.
The main celebration of the 250th anniversary, dubbed "Salute to America 250," is scheduled for July 4th at the National Mall in Washington D.C., featuring a speech by President Trump and over 300 military musicians.
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