USCIS New York and Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer Welcome 100 New Citizens at New-York Historical Society in Honor of Presidents' Day

NEW YORK - U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) New York celebrated Presidents’ Day by welcoming 100 new citizens at a naturalization ceremony at the New-York Historical Society.  On Feb. 16, USCIS New York District Director Andrea Quarantillo administered the Oath of Allegiance and special guest Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer delivered the keynote remarks.  New-York Historical President and CEO Louise Mirrer led the Pledge of Allegiance and New-York Historical Society board member Pam Schafler gave welcoming remarks.

“The New-York Historical Society is the perfect place to welcome this diverse group of new citizens as they begin this chapter in their personal history and become a part of our collective American History,” said USCIS New York District Director Andrea Quarantillo.

“Today in our city, forty percent of our population is foreign born.  Asians, Latinos, Africans, Eastern Europeans – people from every corner of the world come to every corner of our borough," said Manhattan Borough President Scott M. Stringer. "Our economic, cultural, social, and civic life could not be the same without the immigrant community's impact on our city. As President of the Borough of Manhattan, I’m proud to be a part of New York’s long history of welcoming immigrants into the U.S. and providing the opportunity for them to pursue their dreams.” 

“We hosted our first ceremony with the New York District office on April 20, 2007. Each occasion is a joyful experience,” said Louise Mirrer, president and CEO of the New-York Historical Society. “We are pleased to present our country’s newest citizens with a book of 15 cherished documents produced jointly by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History and the New-York Historical Society.”

The group of 100 citizenship candidates included many interesting people who bring a diversity of talent and experience to their new country. One candidate is Gilles Larrain, world-renowned photographer.  Mr. Larrain, whose artistic career has spanned decades, is most well-known for his portraits of John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Salvador Dali, and Miles Davis.  Another candidate narrowly escaped from Haiti during civil unrest. Another is a CGI-engineer who worked with George Lucas on the Star Wars films. 

The approximately 100 citizenship candidates originated from more than 30 countries: Albania, Antigua-Barbuda, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, France, Germany, Ghana, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Korea, Kosovo, Mauritania, Mexico, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Togo, and the United Kingdom.