JACKSONVILLE – When a person becomes a U.S. citizen, the naturalization ceremonies are usually emotional, tight-knit affairs with maybe 150 witnesses in a courthouse, but the ceremony changes …
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JACKSONVILLE – When a person becomes a U.S. citizen, the naturalization ceremonies are usually emotional, tight-knit affairs with maybe 150 witnesses in a courthouse, but the ceremony changes drastically if held in front of almost 70,000 football fans.
Tevia John of Orange Park received full citizenship status during halftime of the Jacksonville Jaguars game Sunday with 64 other people from 38 countries ranging from the Ivory Coast to New Zealand to Iraq.
“I was nervous, but it was an exciting feeling,” John said. “I think that was a good thing. Whether you’re a fan or not, it’s a great experience.”
The process is laborious and multi-faceted, she said. From the Bahamas, John earned a green card in 2014 through marriage. Three years later, she could apply for citizenship, but not before passing series of tests and interviews after she filed for citizenship in May.
“I think it went smoothly. It wasn’t a long time frame,” John said. “It is a lot of paperwork, but for what you’re getting, if you take your time, you’ll be fine.”
John said the full weight of being a citizen hasn’t hit her yet because she’s only had a few days to process it, though she added she had applied for a U.S. passport.
“It’s still all mental right now until I actually do something where (I experience) the difference between being a citizen and being a permanent resident,” John said. “But mentally I know it, it’s like, ‘This is different, exciting and new.”
U.S. District Court Judge Marcia Morales Howard administered the ceremony at TIAA Bank Field. She said partnering with immigration officials and the Jaguars to hold the ceremony was the outgrowth of an eight-year-old conversation.
“I looked at my husband and said, ‘Wouldn’t it be amazing if we had a naturalization ceremony during halftime? The ceremonies are unique events,” Howard said. “Every time I invite people to watch these ceremonies, they are overwhelmed by how meaningful they are and by the renewed sense of patriotism they experience.”
Howard has been a federal Judge in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida since 2007, appointed by President George W. Bush. She is the daughter of immigrants who fled Cuba in 1960. There’s a story she tells at the monthly ceremonies about her father clinging to his certificate like it was a relic.
“There’s a lot that goes into becoming an American citizen and it’s pretty incredible,” Howard said.
Every month a school or community organization is invited to participate in or witness these ceremonies that provide students and adults with a learning experience about what it means to be a U. S. citizen. The educational component, broadcast to fans over the stadium loudspeakers, was important for fans to hear and well received, she said.
“Jaguars fans did not let us down. They stayed in their seats for half-time. They gave the new citizens a standing ovation,” Howard said. “I saw strangers going up to our new citizens and congratulating them. It was all that we had hoped.”