NPS - National Park Service

11/07/2024 | Press release | Archived content

Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area hosts a naturalization ceremony for 50 new citizens from 25 countries

News Release Date:
November 7, 2024

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif.- Fifty immigrants from 25 countries became United States citizens during a ceremony hosted by Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Wednesday morning. See photos here.

The new citizens are from Algeria, Armenia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Egypt, El Salvador, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Israel, Jamaica, Korea, Mexico, Nigeria, Peru, Philippines, Serbia, Syria, Thailand, United Kingdom, Uruguay and Vietnam.
This is the park's sixth naturalization ceremony. Karen Meyer, a USCIS supervisor, administered the Oath of Allegiance.

New American citizen Yolanda Marcela Manrique Gonzalez, originally from León, Mexico, has lived in the United States for 20 years.

"I am proud to be here and want to give back for what I've received over the past 20 years," she said.

Gonzalez, who runs a tax business, became a citizen because she wants to vote in future elections and be an active part of her community. She is passionate about preserving parks for children, especially for her 3-year-old granddaughter.

USCIS and the park service have a signed memorandum of understanding that advances the meaning and stature of citizenship by building connections between new citizens and America's parks.

The agreement has led to special naturalization ceremonies held at many of the 430 places safeguarded by NPS across the country, including Yosemite National Park, Cesar Chavez National Monument and Cabrillo National Monument.

The renewed agreement strengthens collaborative efforts to hold ceremonies at national parks and historic federal landmarks that best represent the strength and spirit of the United States. The agreement supports the promotion of citizenship and naturalization between the two agencies.


-NPS-

Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SMMNRA) is the largest urban national park in the country, encompassing more than 150,000 acres of mountains and coastline in Ventura and Los Angeles counties. A unit of the National Park Service, it comprises a seamless network of local, state, and federal parks interwoven with private lands and communities. As one of only five Mediterranean ecosystems in the world, SMMNRA preserves the rich biological diversity of more than 450 animal species and 26 distinct plant communities. For more information, visit nps.gov/samo.