News Release

National Park Service and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to Welcome New Citizens at Naturalization Ceremony on July 3

News Release Date: June 28, 2019

Contact: Quinn Andrus, Community Services Officer, US Citizenship and Immigration Services, [phone]

Contact: Tracy Fortmann, Superintendent, Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, [phone]

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), in partnership with Fort Vancouver National Historic Site (NHS), will welcome new United States citizens at a naturalization ceremony taking place at the Historic Hangar at Pearson Air Museum on July 3, 2019.

At the ceremony, 40 new citizens representing countries from around the world will be sworn in by Richard Miller, Director of the USCIS Portland Field Office. Tracy Fortmann, Fort Vancouver NHS Superintendent, will welcome the candidates for citizenship and their families to this national park, which has a rich, multicultural history. The event’s keynote speaker will be Karen Hengerer, an active retiree who volunteers on voter registration projects and teaches classes for those getting ready for citizenship exams. The Vancouver Community Concert Band, under the direction of Erin Hanson, will provide patriotic music.

The USCIS invites new citizens, their families, friends, and the public to share in the long tradition of welcoming our new citizens. Naturalization ceremonies have been taking place at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site since 2010 as part of a national agreement between the National Park Service and the USCIS. Superintendent Fortmann stated, “The National Park System is uniquely American. The American people have chosen to set aside nationally significant places for all Americans, not just for today or for a few generations, but forever. It so seems fitting that we hold naturalization ceremonies on national park ground. As new citizens, national parks are now part of their legacy and future, as they are for all Americans!”

Fortmann further noted, “United States citizenship is something so many of us take for granted. It’s easy to forget how important it is, and what it means to new citizens and their families. As we welcome and congratulate these new Americans, I hope that everyone who joins us for this very special day will be reminded of the diverse community at Fort Vancouver on which our city was founded, and will remember the perseverance of their own ancestors, which allowed them to be with us today.”

What: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Naturalization Ceremony

Where: The Historic Hangar at Pearson Air Museum, part of Fort Vancouver National Historic Site. Located at 1115 E 5^th Street, Vancouver, WA 98661.

When: July 3, 2019. The ceremony will begin promptly at noon. Please arrive no later than 11:45 am.