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SALT LAKE CITY — Fifteen children ages 7 to 12 obtained their citizenship certificates on Friday at a Salt Lake fire station with parents, family members and parents proudly watching.
"That I will perform non-combatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law," said the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services representative, waiting for the group of children to repeat the phrase.
Silence. Then laughter from the adults in the audience.
Recognizing that the phrase was a little too long and complicated for the children to repeat, the immigration representative broke the phrase down into shorter segments.
For children, becoming a U.S. citizen is different than the process for adults, since many children do not have the skills to pass a test with questions about how the federal government operates and U.S. history.
In fact, children can merit citizenship through meeting certain federal requirements, depending on how and when their parents became U.S. citizens.
For instance, 12-year-old Alyssa Dahle was born in Guatemala and adopted at 11 months to her U.S. born parents — allowing her to receive her citizenship, since she was adopted before age 16 and has lived with her adoptive family for more than two years.
Other children can receive citizenship after their parents have obtained citizenship, like Greta Svagr, 11, and her sister, who was unable to attend the ceremony because she just had her tonsils removed.
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New citizens beamed with excitement as they displayed their naturalization records to proud family members at This Is the Place Heritage Park. (Photo: Stacie Scott/Deseret News)Greta and her sister were born in Czech Republic and their family migrated to Utah in 2004, allowing their father to earn his surgeon credentials in the United States.
"I'm very excited. It's great to be an American citizen," said Greta, who loves playing soccer and is an aspiring veterinarian. "There's more opportunities than before."
Although the ceremony featured "The Star-Spangled Banner," the Pledge of Allegiance and the recitation of the Oath of Citizenship, citizenship ceremonies for children are much shorter than adult naturalization ceremonies.
"I didn't know what was going to happen," said Tram Tran, 12, who is originally from Vietnam. "But at the same time, you're kind of happy."
Because their ceremony occurred at a fire station, children who received their citizenship and their families were able to tour the facility and take photos with the fire engines after the ceremony.
"You can be a positive impact by doing the things that make us good citizens, something as simple as not fighting, not stealing or being a good person within the community that people like to be around," Salt Lake Fire Chief Brian Dale told the children.
"I welcome you as a citizen, and I hope that each and every one of you will find a way to positively impact the community," he said.
Other children participating in Friday's ceremony were born in Ecuador, Egypt, Mexico, Nepal, Peru, Romania, Turkey and Ukraine.
Cassidy Hansen is currently studying both Political Science and Communications at Brigham Young University, while working as an intern at the Deseret News. Contact her at chansen@deseretnews.com
