200 immigrants become citizens at IL State Fair naturalization ceremony

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — Nearly 200 immigrants became citizens at the naturalization ceremony in Springfield Sunday.

The ceremony was the first one to ever take place at the Illinois State Fair.

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The newest group of citizens comes from 49 different countries, including Colombia, Sudan, Macedonia and Thailand.

State leaders, including Governor JB Pritzker and Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, joined the ceremony to congratulate the newest citizens.

“For everyone here today, whether your journey started in Malaysia or Morocco, Bolivia or Bangladesh, your hard work and dedication make your stories the American Dream,” Duckworth said, who spoke at the ceremony. “I want to thank you for making this nation better, for making America more American. I couldn’t be prouder to now call you my fellow citizens.”

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