I Became A Citizen of the USA

Xenophobia and anti-immigrant sentiment seems to be on the rise in the world today. Here in the United States we have seen masked, unidentified, men grab people off the streets and bundle them into vans. We have witnessed mass ICE raids in which hundreds of people have been arrested. We have seen the President of the United States post a meme that reads, “I love the smell of deportations in the morning.” 

The Supreme Court has allowed the Trump administration to continue to detain people based on their appearance, the language they speak or their occupation, with Justice Kavanaugh acknowledging that US citizens and legal residents will be caught up in this, but they, “will be free to go after the brief encounter.” Justice Sonia Sotomayor described the decision as, “unconscionably irreconcilable with our nation’s constitutional guarantees.” She also stated that “we should not have to live in a country where the Government can seize anyone who looks Latino, speaks Spanish, and appears to work a low wage job.”

These are precarious times for immigrants, whether legal residents or undocumented. It’s a far cry from the teaching of Scripture, I quote Deuteronomy 10:16-19 as just one example, “So circumcise your hearts and stop being so stubborn, because the Lord your God is the God of all gods and Lord of all lords, the great, mighty, and awesome God who doesn’t play favorites and doesn’t take bribes. He enacts justice for orphans and widows, and he loves immigrants, giving them food and clothing. That means you must also love immigrants because you were immigrants in Egypt.”

I had always thought I would live out my days as a permanent resident. There was no need to become a citizen. Why add a third passport to the two I already have?  However, with so much uncertainty around the future of immigrants in the United States, including that of permanent residents, I made the decision, after thirty-three years of living as an immigrant, to become a citizen. 

At the end of March I filled out my paperwork and submitted my application. Clicking the submit button was a strange feeling. My application was accepted and an interview with a USCIS officer was scheduled for July 18th. 

I passed the civics test. You have to score six out of ten from a random selection of questions. I got the easy ones. 
Which ocean is on the east coast?
What’s the name of the national anthem?
Name three of the original states?
In what war was Eisenhower a general before becoming President?
Name the countries we fought in WW2?
Why are there 50 stars on the flag? I wanted to say, “because DC and Puerto Rico haven’t been granted statehood ;-)” 

The officer then walked me through my application and when he came to the Oath of Allegiance he asked me if I could take it with a clear conscience. I immediately answered, “No.”

You see the oath requires you to say the following,

"I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God."

Thankfully you are allowed to “solemnly affirm” rather than, “declare, on oath.” You don’t have to explain yourself to be granted this exception. I believe the words of Jesus in Matthew 5:33-37 that we shouldn’t take oaths.

For years I struggled with the renunciation of other allegiances, but the USCIS website is clear that you don’t have to give up (renounce) citizenship you have with other countries. I suppose there’s already an inherent tension when I hold both Irish and British passports, just look at the history between those two identities!

I believe I can support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States. I can also work to change them. This is the interesting thing about this section of the oath, the Constitution and the laws of the nation are both fluid, new laws are constantly being written and the Constitution has been amended 27 times. There are debates about how to best interpret the Constitution with its meaning at times being unclear. 

There is nothing in this clause that conflicts with my passion for justice in the world. Part of my commitment in becoming a citizen is to work for a “more perfect union.” A place where we actually acknowledge the truth, even though it’s a fallacy to say it’s self-evident, “that all [people] are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” 

It’s the next part of the oath where I stated my emphatic “No.” I will not bear arms, I will not kill another person. I am committed to the words of Jesus to love my enemy and to pray for my enemy. I believe the apostle Paul is right when he articulates what this looks like in practice in his letter to the Romans. There he quotes the proverbs, reminding us that if our enemy is hungry we are to provide them with food and if our enemy is thirsty we are to offer them a drink. I told the USCIS officer that they wouldn’t want me in the military, even as a chaplain, as my message wouldn’t be well received.

There is no obligation for USCIS to grant a waiver of this clause, but a waiver is permitted if the, “objection is grounded in his or her religious principles, to include other belief systems similar to traditional religion or a deeply held moral or ethical code; and his or her beliefs are sincere, meaningful, and deeply held.” Thankfully I was granted the waiver as I would not have become a citizen if I had had to say this clause. This meant that during the administration of the oath I would stand silent as this part of the oath was being administered.

On September 5th, 2025, I attended my naturalisation ceremony in Minneapolis. Thirty people from twenty nations became citizens that day. The ceremony was presided over by the Section Chief of the Minneapolis field office. He was an immigrant from Mexico and spoke beautifully about the diversity of this nation and celebrated all the cultures that were present that day. After the playing of the national anthem we took the oath of allegiance and were declared citizens of the United States. This was followed by a short, scripted video welcome from Donald Trump, which in spite of being scripted and pre-recorded, he still rambled (watch it here). The ceremony concluded with the Pledge of Allegiance, I have never pledged allegiance to a flag or any inanimate object as the Christian church refers to this as idolatry, so since I had just promised to defend the Constitution I used my constitutionally protected right and respectfully remained silent.

I have been using my voice and actions for thirty-three years to try and make this place a better place for all. Becoming a citizen doesn’t change that, but it does give me a vote. We still live in a world and country in which not all people are thought of as being “created equal” and the “rights” of all people to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” are frequently only available to the privileged. As a new citizen of the United States I will work hard and use my position of privilege to advocate for “all people.”

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,

With conquering limbs astride from land to land;

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame

Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name

Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand

Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command

The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she

With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”