17 Bosnians to become U.S. citizens in special ceremony
USCIS officers conducted off-site naturalization interviews
ST. LOUIS – A group of 17 Bosnian immigrants will be sworn in as U.S. citizens Monday morning during a special naturalization ceremony at the St. Louis University School of Law.
Many of these Bosnians are war trauma victims who witnessed atrocities during the 1995 Srebrenica massacre or other Bosnian genocide events. Consequently, they were afraid to enter government buildings, including the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) office, according to Courtney Manus, legal director of Places for People, a St. Louis nonprofit organization.
Yet to become a U.S. citizen, an applicant must successfully complete a citizenship interview, which typically takes place at the USCIS office. When the local USCIS office realized these green card holders would be unable to realize their American dream, St. Louis USCIS officers made “house calls” to Places for People to conduct the interviews. More information about the partnership between USCIS and Places for People can be found here: http://www.placesforpeople.
USCIS will welcome St. Louis’s newest U.S. citizens at a ceremony over which U.S. Magistrate Judge Terry I. Adelman will preside.
Date & Time:
Monday, May 20, 2013, 11 a.m.
Location: University of St. Louis School of Law
Courtroom #109
3700 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis, MO
