3,000 Become U.S. Citizens at Fenway Park

Boston's Fenway Park was transformed into a federal court to host its first naturalization ceremony as over 3,000 immigrants took the oath to become United States citizens.

The hour-long ceremony, lead by U.S. District Judge Patti Saris, was the first ever naturalization ceremony to be held at the historic Boston baseball park. According to the Boston Globe, officials decided to hold the ceremony at Fenway Park due to a surge in citizenship applications.

According to Denis Riordan, district director of the USCIS Boston, this particular ceremony was special because of its size and location. "I think [Fenway] is America's ballpark. It's so much a part of Boston, and immigration has been so much a part of Boston's history," said Riordan. "It's the city of immigrants. It seems perfectly fitting to hold a ceremony of naturalization here."

The new U.S. citizens gathered in the box and lodge seats along the first base line as Judge Saris swore them in. The 3,000 plus new U.S. citizens originally hail from over 140 countries, with the most coming from the Dominican Republic, China, Haiti, Vietnam, and Brazil.

Also joining the ceremony was Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino, who was proudly flanked by the Red Sox's two World Series trophies.

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