The 25 citizenship candidates represent 14 countries, including Sudan, Vietnam, Burma Morocco and Ukraine. The public is invited and encouraged to attend.
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Dozens of new United States citizens attended a naturalization ceremony in Sioux Falls on Wednesday. Pandemic safety precautions mean the ceremonies are smaller than usual, but the occasion is still a source of pride for new Americans.
Four ceremonies marked the citizenship of 55 people from 24 different countries. Each group took the Oath of Allegiance in a conference room that overlooked the Big Sioux River in downtown Sioux Falls. As temperatures reached 100 degrees, family members stood outside and watched from the other side of a large window.
Jeffrey Beil is a supervisory immigration services officer. He explains the limited capacity.
“Part of our safety protocol is we try to maintain social distancing and following CDC guidelines,” he says. “So in order to maintain that social distancing it limits the capacity of any space we occupy, whether it’s a naturalization ceremony or our field office.”