MYSTIC, Conn. — It’s become a tradition at the Mystic Seaport Museum; each Flag Day they hold a naturalization ceremony. This year 50 men and women from all over the globe came to the Seaport and took their Oath of Allegiance. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut team up to make the event happen.
Peter Armstrong, the president of the Mystic Seaport Museum and a new American Citizen himself was at the podium to help lead the ceremony. Armstrong said, “I think the best part of today is just when I stand there and I shake all the hands of people from all the different countries and I think there were 20-odd different countries today.”
Felix Marichal, who now lives in Orange, immigrated to Connecticut from Cuba. He said, “I feel amazing,” said Marichal, who then added, “for opportunity to stay here with my family, yeah it is an amazing day.”
Originally from the United Kingdom, Armstrong, who officially became an America citizen in November of 2023, added “this (ceremony) makes me feel emotional because you can see what it means to them as well as what it meant to me and my family.”
To cap off the day, all 50 of the new American citizens were given free memberships to the Mystic Seaport Museum.
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