On the 239th anniversary of the signing the U.S. Constitution, 49 new Americans received United States citizenship in Fort Worth on Thursday.
The ceremony was filled with smiles, excitement and happy tears as the new citizens took an oath of allegiance to the U.S., promising to support and defend the U.S. Constitution, and bear faith and allegiance to the U.S. Following the oath, small American flags were waved with pride.
The new citizens hail from 18 countries, including Afghanistan, Brazil, Burma, China, Colombia, Congo, Egypt, Ghana, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Iraq, Laos, Mexico, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines and Vietnam.
Judge Mark Pittman of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas said citizenship ceremonies were the best part of his job because everyone leaves the courtroom happy.
“America is great not because it’s perfect. America is great because ordinary citizens like you continue to do their part,” Pittman told the crowd. “They continue to believe in America’s ideals, and they continue to pass those ideals on to the next generation. And what a privilege that is.”
A woman receives her citizenship certificate during a naturalization ceremony in Fort Worth on Sept. 17, 2026.
Some of the individuals who were naturalized had waited as long as 10 years. The process can be lengthy due to green card requirements and system backlogs. The baseline government filing fee to become a citizen is $710, though the Department of Homeland Security has proposed an increase to $1,280.
Texas A&M Board of Regents Chairman Robert Albritton was the guest speaker, and congratulated the applicants for their “persistence,” and repeatedly told them they did “the right thing the right way.”
“It’s people like you that have always made the strength of America, and it will continue to be people like you that bring the strength to America,” Albritton said.