Fifty-four people from all over the world took the oath to become U.S. citizens on Tuesday morning at San Antonio City Hall.
Several said they were excited to register to vote in their first U.S. presidential election on Nov. 5. The League of Women Voters of San Antonio Area was on hand at the ceremony to immediately register voters now that they were legally eligible.
Gregory Dave Alexander, born in Jamaica, drove down from his home in Round Rock to take the oath. He said he is still pondering who to vote for in the race for the White House.
"I have not really paid much attention, to be honest, but I will start today to listen more to the issues that both candidates are raising," he said.
The 48-year-old is a robotics technician for Amazon. He is married and has a daughter. He said he's looking forward to exercising his new right to vote.
Forty-nine-year-old Haythem Hammour, born in Saudi Arabia and raised in Sudan, and also a current resident of Round Rock, said his mind is already made up to vote for Democrat Kamala Harris in the presidential race.
"I believe she's going to do well, and I believe like she's honest and she really wants to bring people together," he said. "She wants to unite people and so that is one of the most important things for me actually."
The 49-year-old has worked in cyber security, including for Cisco, and is married with four children. He said becoming a U.S. citizen was a "dream come true."
Lisa Campbell, a member and volunteer with the League of Women of Voters, said probably 40 of the 54 new citizens had turned in voter registration cards.
She said there was excitement in the faces of the soon-to-be voters. "It's a big deal to be able to vote," she said.
Federal Magistrate Elizabeth Chestney administered the citizenship oath. San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg spoke at the ceremony to welcome the new citizens.
Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA," and "America the Beautiful," were heard at the ceremony, along with a speech by President John F. Kennedy.
In general, a new citizen must have lived as a permanent lawful resident for five years here and gone through a 10-step process.
One of those steps is to pass a civics test that includes questions about the Constitution, and branches of government, and figures from U.S. history.
