1,200 immigrants to be sworn in as U.S. citizens in Austin

12:22 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 29, 2016

In a ceremony at the Delco Center in Northeast Austin on Thursday, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will swear in 1,201 immigrants from 60 countries as new Americans.

U.S. District Court Judge Robert L. Pitman, will preside over the ceremony.

Citizenship can be conferred upon foreign nationals after they fulfill naturalization requirements established by Congress, according to the USCIS.

Once naturalized, foreign-born citizens enjoy nearly all the same benefits, rights and responsibilities that the Constitution gives to native-born U.S. citizens, including the right to vote, the USCIS says. About 729,000 immigrants were naturalized across the United States during fiscal year 2015.

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/l...ns-in-a/nshHr/