New citizens pledge allegiance at Lake Mead ceremony

With Hoover Dam and the bypass bridge in the distance, 24 people from around the globe stood on the deck of a paddlewheel tour boat to be sworn in as citizens Friday morning.

The first-ever naturalization ceremony held on the waters of Lake Mead included men and women from a dozen countries.

Six of the freshly minted Americans were already wearing the uniform of their new country - five airmen from Nellis Air Force Base and a soldier from the Army National Guard.

Then there were Wassihun Lesana and Membere Mulatu, a husband and wife from Ethiopia. Their path to citizenship wasn't like winning the lottery. They actually did win the lottery.

In 2007, Mulatu's name was picked from millions of entries in what is known as a diversity lottery, which awards 50,000 visas a year to randomly selected applicants from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States.

"She's lucky, man," Lesana said of his wife.

Because they are married, her selection automatically qualified him for a visa too.

But their good fortune required a terrible sacrifice: To come to the United States, they had to leave their then-3-month-old son behind.

The boy, now 5, is being raised by his grandmother in Ethiopia. His name is Bemnet, which means "trust."

Lesana and Mulatu use Skype to see and talk to him, but the last time either of them saw him in person was when she traveled back to Ethiopia six months ago. Lesana hasn't been back to Africa since they moved to the United States.

He works as a medical laboratory technician. She is a kitchen worker at Aria. They own a home in the southwest valley.

Lesana said the first thing they plan to do as citizens is apply to bring their son to their new home country, a process they expect to take about eight months.

On Friday, all the waiting seemed worth it.

"I feel free," Lesana said, mirroring his wife's broad grin. "This is a free country. That's why I'm here."

Loren King wanted to become a citizen so he could leave the country.

The 29-year-old Nellis airman has lived in the United States since his parents moved from Jamaica to Texas when he was 5.

He joined the Air Force four years ago, but the military won't send you overseas unless you are a citizen, he said. "I feel I can best serve by being able to deploy."

King hasn't been back to Jamaica since his family left, and he remembers very little about his early childhood there.

"My parents always encouraged me to be Americanized," he said.

King's citizenship was rarely questioned growing up. You'd never guess he was anything but American unless he told you.

"It comes up when there's paperwork," he said.

Only now it won't.

The journey to citizenship can be a long one. Some people wait 20 years or more for a chance at a permanent resident visa, said Marie Therese Sebrechts, spokeswoman for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Once you have a green card, you must live in the United States for five years before you can apply for citizenship. Then you must pass a civics test, demonstrate a basic knowledge of English, and be of "good moral character" to qualify.

The citizenship process generally takes about five months from application to naturalization, Sebrechts said.

Friday's ceremony was held aboard Lake Mead Cruises' Desert Princess under a partnership between the National Park Service and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

The goal is introduce new Americans to their national parks to boost the stature of citizenship ceremonies by moving them out of offices and courtrooms and into some of the country's most picturesque spots.

Friday's ceremony was the first to be held at a National Park Service site in Nevada.

U.S. District Judge and Southern Nevada native George Foley presided.

"I've spent many days out on this lake," he said. "This is the best day I've spent out on this lake."

After they were sworn in, the new citizens recited the Pledge of Allegiance and watched a recorded welcome message from President Barack Obama. Then they sang along to Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA" as the boat motored its way back to the dock.

At the end of the ceremony, Diego Verduzco, formerly of Mexico, addressed his fellow Americans.

"Now that we're U.S. citizens, we can participate," he said with a smile, his eyes red from crying. "And there's a lot of cool jobs out there."

Contact reporter Henry Brean at hbrean@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0350.