PRESS RELEASE Jacksonville, Florida, December 20, 2019 For Immediate Release

UNITED STATES TO WELCOME 79 NEW CITIZENS IN CEREMONY AT HALF-TIME OF THE JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS GAME AGAINST THE INDIANAPOLIS COLTS DECEMBER 29, 2019

The judges of the United States District Court, Middle District of Florida, Jacksonville Division, working together with the Department of Homeland Security – U.S. and Immigration Services in Jacksonville, are pleased to announce that for the second year in a row the Jacksonville Jaguars will host a Naturalization Ceremony at TIAA Bank Field during the half-time of the Jaguars game against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, December 29, 2019. At half-time, 79 northeast Florida residents from 35 different countries will take the field for a Naturalization Ceremony at which they will become new citizens of the United States. Participants range in age from 18 to 61 and include two active duty and one veteran of the United States Navy, as well as six married couples and one pair of sisters. The federal judiciary is committed to engaging the public in projects that educate citizens and Naturalization Ceremonies hosted by federal courts throughout the United States help to fulfill that commitment. At these ceremonies, immigrants who have worked for years to fulfill the arduous requirements of U.S. citizenship swear their to the United States and receive their naturalization certificates, the final step in becoming a citizen of the United States. In Jacksonville, federal judges host a Naturalization Ceremony every month in the Ceremonial Courtroom of the Bryan Simpson United States Courthouse. Every month a school or community organization is invited to participate in or witness these meaningful ceremonies providing students and adults alike with a learning experience about what it means to become a U.S. citizen. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard says, “As the daughter of naturalized citizens, I have always found Naturalization Ceremonies to be incredibly meaningful. Seeing the faces of these hardworking people the moment they hear that they are now American citizens is truly inspiring. Their faces exude unbridled Pride, Joy, and Optimism for the future. Those faces serve as a reminder to all American citizens of how incredibly fortunate we are to be citizens of this great country with all of its freedoms and opportunities. Over the years, our Court has tried to expand the educational experience of attending a Naturalization Ceremony to larger and more diverse audiences. We are so pleased that the Jaguars share our appreciation for the importance of these ceremonies.”

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Judge Howard and Lisa Bradley, Field Office Director of DHS-USCIS, appreciate and thank the Jacksonville Jaguars for their cooperation in providing a lesson in citizenship to thousands of Jaguars fans as well as graciously hosting the new citizens and their families at the game.

At the ceremony Judge Howard will administer the Naturalization of Allegiance to the United States of America which says: "I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God." A list of the 35 countries from which the new citizens come is attached.

### Media Inquiries: Suzanne Judas, Esq. Community Outreach Coordinator Jacksonville Chapter, Federal Bar Association [email protected] 904-910-0354

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COUNTRIES FROM WHICH NEW CITIZENS ARE COMING NATURALIZATION CEREMONY DECEMBER 29, 2019 AT HALFTIME TIAA BANK FIELD JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS GAME AGAINST THE INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

AFGHANISTAN ALBANIA ARGENTINA BOLIVIA BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA BRAZIL BURMA CANADA CENTRAL AFTRICAN REPUBLIC CHINA COLUMBIA CONGO COSTA RICA CUBA DOMINCAN REPUBLIC ERITREA ETHOPIA GUATEMALA GUYANA HAITI HUNGARY INDIA ITALY IRAQ JAMAICA MEXICO NIGERIA PERU PHILIPPINES SYRIA THAILAND UKRAINE VENEZUELA

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