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Thousands become U.S. citizens during naturalization ceremony in LA
Victoria Tetteh with her husband Michael. Victoria was naturalized June, 23 2010 at the L.A. Convention Center. Michael became a U.S. citizen in February. Both are from Ghana.
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Corey Moore/KPCC
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About 6,000 people took the oath to become naturalized US citizens today at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
Family and friends applauded as the new Americans left the building with certificates in hand. From there, they moved on to pick up the ultimate proof of citizenship: U.S. passports.
Immigration officer Andy Merto said it’s great to see the support new citizens receive from their loved ones.
“A family of five, six… they come in and they just want to watch their relatives take the oath, " said Merto. "It’s a big deal, it really is. So I’m happy for them.”
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After the naturalization ceremony, volunteers registered the new citizens to vote. At least a dozen of those registrars were there in support of Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman.
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