AURORA | It took 35 years, but on Thursday, July 28, Oscar Martínez became a United States citizen.
“It’s a privilege,” Martínez, who first came to the U.S. three and a half decades ago from Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, said in Spanish. “Because this is a country that has given me a lot. I feel really good, it was a really great and a really fine experience.”
Martínez, who has lived in Colorado for 16 years and owns a flooring business in Aurora, was one of 74 immigrants who officially became U.S. citizens Thursday at the first-ever naturalization ceremony held in Aurora City Council chambers.
The new citizens came from 35 different countries across five continents, according to Debbie Cannon, regional spokeswoman for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Hosting a local naturalization ceremony has been a piece of Aurora’s ongoing efforts to integrate and welcome the city’s constantly burgeoning community of immigrants and refugees, according to Ricardo Gambetta, head of the city’s office of international and immigrant affairs.
“For the past couple of years the city has been working very hard to engage with the local immigrant and refugee community,” said Gambetta, who received his own American citizenship 16 years ago following a move from his native Peru. “We are making history today.”
Gambetta pointed to a slew of new initiatives — including a recently approved city commission for immigrants and refugees, additional English and civics classes around the city, and a new program that has outfitted all of the city’s libraries with specialized citizenship materials — as evidence of Aurora’s progressive approach to immigrants and refugees.
During a brief address at the recent ceremony, Aurora Mayor Steve Hogan — whose wife, Becky, is a naturalized citizen from Korea — lauded Aurora’s multiculturalism, calling the city the most diverse in the state.
“In some places in the country, very honestly, diversity is looked upon as a challenge,” Hogan said. “In Aurora, diversity is looked upon as an opportunity.”
U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman, R-Aurora, encouraged the new citizens to wield their newly granted voting rights this November.
“I urge all of you to register to vote today and to always take the time to be informed about your government at every level so that you can make informed decisions when you do vote,” he said. “I believe that this is your obligation as a citizen of the United States of America.”
Olivia Amoakowaa, a recently registered nurse who received her certificate of citizenship on Thursday, said that she is excited to heed Coffman’s call and cast her vote this fall.
“I feel good because … I can vote, which is very, very important for me,“ said Amoakowaa, who is originally from Kumasi, Ghana, but has lived in Colorado for the past six years. “I am so happy and I am so ready to vote.”