It took Francisco Coreas Arevalo 34 years to get to the moment Friday morning when he finally took his oath of citizenship.
Originally from El Salvador, he said he’s been waiting for this day since he arrived in the U.S. over three decades ago.
“I feel as if a weight was lifted off my shoulder,” Coreas Arevalo said in Spanish. “It was a long journey, but it was worth the effort to wait all of this time.”
His wife, Sheyla Perez, an immigrant from Guatemala, has been in the country a year less than her husband and is in the process of gaining legal residency.
“I feel very happy for him, because he fought hard for this and for all of us in the family who wish to have the opportunity to be here legally,” Perez said.
Coreas Arevalo was among the 30 Dallas residents representing 19 countries who, amid some tears and surrounded by family, became U.S. citizens last week during a ceremony at City Hall.
With heightened anti-immigrant rhetoric from some politicians at local and federal levels, she said it’s hard for undocumented immigrants who are trying to become citizens and are paying taxes.
“There’s not a lot of opportunities for someone that doesn’t have anything,” she said.
She said Friday’s event represents a move forward for her family and for others who are struggling to achieve the American dream of becoming a U.S. citizen.
“This is the first step for him,” she said. “The next step is to vote for a better future and a better country, because this is the country of opportunities.”
Linda Flores, a citizenship instructor, was present to watch two of her students take their oath of citizenship. Since 2011, Flores has prepared people for the naturalization process and citizenship test. She holds pop-up classes at locations like fast food restaurants, libraries or anywhere they give her space.
At Friday’s ceremony, she carried a banner with the American flag in celebration of her students.
"I tell my students, you can become a citizen, but the main thing is to vote,” Flores said. “Now that you are a U.S. citizen, you've got the right and responsibility to vote — so you need to vote.”
President-elect Donald Trump is promising mass deportations on day one of his second term, beginning with people who pose public safety threats. Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson told Fox Business last month the city "stand[s] by President Trump in an effort to get rid of people in our country illegally who have violent criminal records or who commit violent crimes here.
"But even more than that, people need to understand it's a strain on our school system, it's a strain on our hospital system," he continued. "There are hidden costs to having a porous, open border and we need to shut that down."
Dallas Assistant City Manager Liz Cedillo-Pereira, who spoke at Friday's ceremony, said in 2017 the city made a commitment to become a welcoming place for immigrants and refugees who call Dallas home.
She a key aspect of the Welcoming Dallas Strategic Plan is promoting civic engagement and increasing access to naturalization so that more Dallas residents can become citizens. The work is in collaboration with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
“I am in deep, ever admiration and respect for your accomplishments,” Cedillo-Pereira told the new citizens, “and I am grateful for the unique perspectives and talents that you bring to our city.”
She said about one in four Dallas residents are from another country.
Priscilla Rice is KERA’s communities reporter. Got a tip? Email her at price@kera.org.
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