Immigrants become US citizens at Death Valley National Park
Gathered in a quiet, green garden tucked within the dry expanses of Death Valley National Park, 12 immigrants became U.S. citizens Friday.
Nearby, cars carrying tourists rumbled past, headed to the dusty sights that draw thousands each year. But here, surrounded by relatives and loved ones, the group clutched small American flags in their hands as they waited to take the oath of allegiance.
For each of the immigrants, the oath marked the graduation from legal permanent residents to naturalized citizens. Lynn Feldman, a director with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, administered it.
“My parents, they naturalized in a courthouse somewhere in Chicago,” Feldman said to the small crowd. “And we don’t go back. We don’t think about it.”
But under the backdrop of Death Valley’s towering desert mountains, she continued.
“I compare that to today,” Feldman said. “And I know, and I see that today — this place, and the moment — it’s just more memorable and significant.”
Honored and humbled
The ceremony began with the national anthem, which was supposed to play over on a loudspeaker. But a technical issue made that impossible. So, nervously, Feldman started singing, inviting everyone else to sing along.
Some voices quavered. Some boomed. But everyone joined in, including a few National Park Service rangers standing in the back of the small Mission Gardens lawn, located at the Inn at Death Valley.
Mike Reynolds, the superintendent of Death Valley, said he was honored and humbled to host the naturalization ceremony. It marked the third of its kind at the park, made possible by a 2006 agreement between the citizenship agency and the park service.
Similar ceremonies have been held at Lake Mead National Recreation Area and Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area over the years.
“I can’t think of a better place for you to become U.S. citizens than here in Death Valley National Park,” Reynolds said Friday.
The oath took about two minutes to complete. Just as everyone clapped, 2-year-old Gurman Kaur broke free from his father’s grasp and ran up to his mother, Mandeep Kaur, 28, one of the 12 new citizens standing in the front row.
The Bakersfield, California, family woke up at about 3 a.m. and drove about 200 miles to make it to the 10 a.m. ceremony. Mandeep Kaur was excited but tired, and the boy was restless. So she scooped him up to calm him, then set him down at her side, where he remained as she held her hand over her heart and began reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.
Savoring the moment
After, relatives stood and knelt in the grass, taking cellphone photos and videos as their loved ones collected their citizenship certificates.
“We hope that you enjoy your first day as American citizens,” Gurinder Johal, an immigration services officer, told the crowd at the close of the ceremony.
Clutching his certificate, Raul Vargas, 34, simply said he was happy.
“And more comfortable,” his wife, Loida, interjected. “I’m not worried anymore that he can get caught by immigration.”
Raul Vargas is originally from Guatemala. Once he gets a passport, he plans to visit again, free of anxiety. But he also wants to travel the world, he said. Maybe go to Europe.
“We’re free to do anything we want,” he added.
“Not anything,” his wife said.
“I mean, not anything bad,” he said, laughing. “Good stuff.”
After exploring the park Friday, the couple planned to visit Las Vegas. They booked reservations at a Strip resort to celebrate.
“The most exciting thing,” Loida Vargas said to her husband, “is you going to have fun when you vote.”
Contact Rachel Crosby at rcrosby@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3801. Follow @rachelacrosby on Twitter.