US citizenship for 4,000 immigrants during 4th of July celebrations

The United States will welcome 4,000 new citizens during its 231st birthday celebrations at naturalization ceremonies held across the country and throughout the world.

"Citizenship is the most precious gift that our country can bestow upon anyone," said U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director, Emilio Gonzales.

<$adv0> "It's altogether fitting that, as we welcome new citizens in locations from Guam to Iraq and Orlando to Seattle, we pause to realize that our newest citizens have given up their past lives in the pursuit of their individual American dreams. Today we celebrate the fact that in the United States you can enter the country as an immigrant and, in time, become as fully an American citizen as the most direct descendants of our founding fathers."

On 02 July 2007, USCIS will introduce a new film, 'A Promise of Freedom: An Introduction to Civics and U.S. History for Immigrants,' during a naturalization ceremony at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. 100 new citizens will be welcomed at the event.

1,000 new citizens will be naturalized at Disney World on 04 July 2007, the Independence Day holiday. Gonzalez will be guiding the ceremony, which will include singers Gloria Estefan and Lee Greenwood at the Orlando, Florida theme park.

Ten new citizens will be welcomed onboard the USS Constitution in Boston harbor during its annual cruise. The Constitution is the oldest Navy warship still in active service. 425 active-duty members of the U.S. Armed Forces in Iraq, Guam, Germany, Kuwait, and South Korea will also be naturalized during the celebratory week.

Nearly 700,000 immigrants become naturalized U.S. citizens each year.

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