Over 600 people celebrate new citizenship on Fourth of July in Lowell

LOWELL, Mass. — Hundreds of people became brand new United States citizens in Lowell as they celebrated the Fourth of July.

Over 600 people clutched small flags in Lowell's Memorial Auditorium on Wednesday as they took part in a naturalization ceremony.

The ceremony was one of three in Massachusetts on the Fourth of July, and the government says between June 28 and July 10, over 14,000 people will be sworn in at 175 ceremonies across the country.

Prisca Rugamika was granted asylum six years ago after fleeing the Congo because of a civil war, and has since made Cambridge her home.

"I didn't expect it to be this day, but it was really special," Rugamika said. "Its independence for everybody. For me, for the day, it's great. It's like a dream country for everybody, so it was a great country for me, too."

The hundreds of people in the auditorium said the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag for the very first time, in a moment some had been waiting on for decades.

Lindita Taka became a citizen after moving from Albania years ago, but her mom got her chance on Wednesday to earn her citizenship at 80 years old.

"It's kind of late, but she's happy," Taka said.

Marie Florent and her husband both came from Haiti, and both found themselves at the front of the room in Lowell.

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"I'm like, 'Today, it's gonna be my first day as a U.S. citizen,'" Florent said. "So I'm gonna celebrate it with a bang, and this is my bang."

Florent couldn't be happier about the news, and wasn't afraid to show it.

"We are all Americans now," Florent said. "I am proud. I am honestly proud to say that I am an American, and I'm proud of it."

Cox Media Group