‘What July 4 is all about’: 17 new citizens naturalized in historic Annapolis

There are countless ways to celebrate the Fourth of July, especially during the 250th anniversary celebration — from fireworks and barbecues to trips to the National Mall.

But Friday, around 100 people gathered in Annapolis for something weightier: A naturalization ceremony for 17 people from 11 different countries.

“Today is a day of celebration and gratitude,” said Richard Tizala, a supervisory immigration services officer from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Baltimore.

Tizala read the names of 11 countries that people were from before they took the oath of allegiance: Bangladesh, China, El Salvador, India, Indonesia, Italy, Jamaica, the Philippines, Russia, South American and Vietnam.

Rosalee Barrett, a section chief from USCIS Baltimore, called the event Friday morning “One of the most meaningful events in America.”

The ceremony was hosted at the historic Paca House downtown. The brief ceremony included historic reenactors, the Youth Chorus of Annapolis and a color guard from Annapolis High School.

After the oath was administered, the gathered crowd cheered and applauded. Throughout the ceremony, the children’s chorus sang “America the Beautiful” and “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Both times, the audience sang along.

MD Abdullahel Karim, who came to the U.S. from Bangladesh, was the first to begin waving a miniature flag, which quickly inspired the others to join in.

“I couldn’t stop my excitement,” Karim said after the ceremony.

He moved to the U.S. in 2018 to be with his daughter, Karim said. They live in Ellicott City.

“It’s been a long journey to get here,” he said.

This is the eighteenth time Historic Annapolis has hosted a naturalization ceremony at Paca House, said Karen Theimer Brown, the organization’s president.

She said it was an honor to be a part of the personal and family histories of the immigrants who were naturalized Friday.

“It gives us an opportunity to kind of pause and reflect upon our nation’s past and, and the contributions of all Americans,” Brown said. “And I think that it has an even greater meaning as we celebrate the 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding.”

Omish Wynter came to the U.S. from Jamaica in 2016. He now lives in Randallstown, and said he was incredibly excited to take his oath in Annapolis. He, like Karim, said it was a long journey to earn his citizenship.

“It feels real good,” he said.

The nation’s history was on full display at the Paca House Friday. The Annapolis town crier, Squire Fred Taylor and a historic reenactor, playing the role of William Paca, took part.

Matthew West, who played William Paca, said ceremonies like this “epitomize the Fourth of July.”

“Welcoming new Americans into our country, that’s what July 4 is all about,” West said.

Altea Rocchi, who came to the U.S. from Italy in 2013, said the ceremony was emotional. Her husband and two children sat in the audience while she took the oath.

“It’s definitely special, the idea that this country is welcoming you,” Rocchi said. “It’s great.”

The setting, in the garden at the Paca House, is also well-preserved piece of local history. Paca was one of the Maryland’s signatories to the Declaration of Independence. He bought the land for the home in 1763, and his family lived in the home with as many as 10 enslaved people, according to Historic Annapolis.

His family did not live there long after American independence: Paca sold the house in 1780. Historic Annapolis and the State of Maryland bought the property in 1965 to make sure it was preserved.

The history of the site “adds layers of meaning and power” to the naturalization ceremony, said Corey Ruth, vice president of communications for Historic Annapolis.

Ruth is a naturalized citizen from Canada. His ceremony happened in 2020, at the USCIS building in Woodlawn, he said. Coincidentally, Ruth is not the only employee at Historic Annapolis who is a naturalized citizen.

Though President Donald Trump has made cracking down on immigration a keystone of his administration, his name was not mentioned during Friday’s ceremony. The immigration crackdown that’s been seen around the country — including in the Annapolis area — did not appear to be on anyone’s mind as the community celebrated the new Americans.

Ruth said becoming a naturalized citizen is a process that can take many, many years.

“People don’t go into it thinking about one administration or another,” he said. “Administrations come and go, but whatever the politics of it, it’s your citizenship, and you know the meaning of that,”

Lucy Mikhailova moved to the U.S. with her husband from Latvia in 1998. Her husband became a citizen in 2011, and Mikhailova became naturalized in 2013 — during a ceremony at the Paca House.

“I just remember the smiles, and the excitement,” she said. “It was really, really good spirits, giving you a really good feeling.”

Mikhailova, now the senior vice president of finance at Historic Annapolis, said she remembers there were maybe 40 people becoming citizens with her back in 2013. Attending ceremonies since then, she said, allows her to relive her own experience a bit.

“I watched the people with the smiles and feeling their excitement, and I remember my day when I had that, it was really something special,” she said.