Kennebunk welcomes new Americans: 'Greatest democracy in the world'

KENNEBUNK, Maine — Mere minutes after officially becoming an American citizen on Friday, Domingo Aguilar said he felt like a weight that had been sitting on his shoulders for years had finally been lifted.

“I feel pretty good,” Aguilar said. “I’ve been waiting.”

Since 1987, to be exact. That’s when Aguilar, now 67, came to the United States from Nicaragua.

Now a resident of Lewiston, Aguilar said he is most excited to officially have his freedom of speech. Freedom without fear, he added.

Aguilar was one of 20 individuals from 15 countries who officially became U.S. citizens during a naturalization ceremony at the Middle School of the Kennebunks on May 3. Those who raised their right hands and recited their Oath of Allegiance to the United States originally hailed from such diverse nations as Afghanistan, Bosnia, Thailand, Italy, and Somalia.

Ken Niyonkuru, 25, came to America from Burundi in East Africa eight years ago. After he became a citizen at the ceremony, he said he felt excited and proud of himself. He also spoke of his plans to go to medical school and of his new eligibility for a passport allowing him to travel freely.

But the most important freedom he's most excited about is his right to vote in American elections. Niyonkuru left little doubt that he would stop by the League of Women Voters’ table in the school’s lobby and register to vote before heading home.

“Now I am able to put my voice to use and contribute,” he said.

This naturalization ceremony was the fourth one to be hosted by the Middle School of the Kennebunks over the years. The event, which MSK students attended alongside local dignitaries and others, included patriotic performances by the school’s band and chorus.

According to RSU 21 spokesperson Matthew Shinburg, the middle school organized the ceremony with the United States Customs and Immigration Services, which works with American residents who have decided to become naturalized citizens.

MSK Principal Marty Bouchard said his school was “honored and proud” to host the naturalization ceremony.

“Our mission is to develop productive global citizens by building knowledge and character,” Bouchard said. “I can think of nothing better than helping our students to realize how hard people work to gain citizenship and to be a part of a ceremony that increases our diversity here in Maine.”

The United States Customs and Immigration Services helps candidates for citizenship apply for naturalization, process legal paperwork, and administer citizenship tests. Once applicants have successfully passed these measures, they are invited to celebrate their new status at a formal ceremony such as the one MSK hosted.

Abdi Nor Iftin, the author of “Call Me American,” a memoir, served as the ceremony’s keynote speaker. Born and raised during the civil war in Somalia, Iftin became an American citizen himself during a naturalization ceremony in early 2020.

Dressed in a suit and sporting a red, white and blue tie, Iftin told the new Americans that his own experience of becoming a citizen at his naturalization ceremony changed him forever. He described the impacts he felt during the decades in which he was labeled as a refugee and an asylum seeker. He also shared the vow he made to himself to move forward when he finally became a citizen.

“Becoming a citizen is not just about obtaining a piece of paper,” Iftin told his fellow new Americans. “It’s about embracing the values and ideals that define this great nation. It’s about contributing to the rich tapestry of American society, regardless of background or origins. It’s about recognizing that we are all part of something greater than ourselves: a nation built on the principles of freedom, equality, and opportunity for all.”

Before Iftin spoke, each of the new Americans took their Oath of Allegiance, which Erika Grunnet, the acting field office director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, administered.

Grunnet told the soon-to-be-Americans that they each had been found by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to be of “good moral character and attached to the principles of the Constitution of the United States.

“This is the moment we’ve all been waiting for,” she said.

After Iftin spoke, Grunnet awarded the new citizens their certificates.

With a certificate in hand, each new American turned to the audience and smiled and basked in applause. One of them – who left the ceremony too quickly to be asked for his name – jumped up and down and pumped a triumphant fist into the air as the audience cheered.

Like Aguilar, Oliver Murray became a citizen on Friday after also living in America for a long time. He arrived in the United States from the United Kingdom 30 years ago. He met his wife, an American, while she attended school in his country. When the time came for her to return to the states, he “followed her here.”

After the ceremony, Murray said he felt proud and relieved and ready to jump into American life as an American.

“I’m very eager to participate in the greatest democracy in the world,” he said.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Kennebunk welcomes new Americans: 'Greatest democracy in the world'