Kingston, NY — After U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) cancelled ceremonies that left immigrant applicants in limbo, 26 people from eight countries took the oath of U.S. citizenship Friday at the Ulster County Courthouse in Kingston, with the Kingston Community Singers performing “America the Beautiful” to mark the occasion.
The new citizens hailed from Pakistan, Poland, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, China, Guatemala, Peru and Ireland.
Ulster County Clerk Taylor Bruck said it was the first naturalization ceremony of the year in the county and described it as a welcome relief following a difficult stretch.
“It’s a relief to have them back,” Brooke said. “We were nervous that we wouldn’t have any for all of 2026, and this was the first one that we had scheduled, and it seemingly went off without a hitch.”
Last year, several naturalization ceremonies were cancelled in Ulster, Putnam and Dutchess counties after USCIS said it had too few candidates. The agency also paused pending applications for green cards, citizenship and asylum from 19 countries, including Afghanistan, Myanmar, Iran and Haiti.
Bruck said USCIS told him the cancellations were due to a backlog, though he acknowledged uncertainty about the explanation.
“Last year when we checked, they said it was over 100, but then later that year they said that there wasn’t enough people to be naturalized,” Brooke said. “All we have is the word of USCIS to go on.”
Assembly Member Sarah Shrestha, a Democrat who represents the Mid-Hudson Valley, told the new citizens she was naturalized in that same courtroom seven years ago. Born in Kathmandu, Nepal, she offered the group advice for life in the United States.
“To really understand that we are not here to compete against each other — we are here because it’s only together that we can improve our lives and get the things that we want in our life,” Shrestha said.
Several of the newly sworn-in citizens spoke to WAMC about completing the naturalization process. One Spanish-speaking new citizen said he felt overjoyed, grateful to God and glad to have his family by his side for the occasion.
A man who gave his name as Amad said the process had taken a couple of years but was worth it. He was joined by his wife, Saba.
“We are feeling great,” he said. “It took us a couple of years, but I think it’s worth it.”
Michelle Alvarez, another newly naturalized citizen, said she was simply happy and eager to move forward.
New citizens were also able to register to vote the same day as their oath ceremony.
Story by Elias Guerra for the New York Public News Network
Image: Ulster County Clerk Taylor Bruck administering the Oath of Allegiance to new citizens in a file photo. (Ulster County Clerk)