21 children become American citizens in emotional ceremony

They come from places like Pakistan, Iraq, Mexico and Syria. 21 children took the oath of allegiance as American citizens Tuesday at the offices of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in Centennial.

"He's a good kid," said recently naturalized citizen Denise Mauwa, a native of Congo, about her 12-year-old son Terezo Ngamije. "I was waiting for this day but now we're here."

Technically the children became citizens when their parents were naturalized, but the ceremony was to put an exclamation point on their status.

"Nobody can talk with you about anything you do. You have your freedom," said Lojain Al Hariri, who just turned 18, shortly after her parents earned their citizenship.

She spent her early years in Syria and remembers the difficulties. "I remember some things you know yeah. But now we have a new life here."

Syria was dealing with a civil war that started in 2011 when they left. The family spent six years in Jordan being vetted before being allowed to come to the United States.

"I wanted my family to live peacefully," said her father Naeem Al Hariri.

His wife was at home with their youngest child who was sick. But he brought five children to take the oath, including his daughter Bayan who is in a wheelchair due to cerebral palsy.

"I'm lucky that God gave me this chance to come to this country to take care of my, especially my sick daughter and the whole family," Naeem Al Hariri said.

Syria still fights on.

"They continue and continue and go on with these civil wars, with militia, with groups and so on. I didn't find a place there to exist," said Naeem Al Hariri. "Everyone doesn't forget the place in which you were born… we lost a lot of my community my friends, my neighbors, my relatives with nothing there."

For his children, there has been an adjustment.

"And some days there's hard days. And we just get over it," said 5th grader Slahaldeen. "For coming to the United States. We learned a lot here."

There is an opportunity that Lojain Al Hariri is hoping to work hard to reach. She is now in her first year of college. "Like, be a doctor. Like, buy a house. Get family, work. Open my own business."

Also taking the oath was Jerry Cross, a man in his 70s who came to the United States as an Austrian-German baby in the 1950s.

His mother had died and he was adopted by an American Air Force family. He was raised to appreciate what he had in the land of opportunity. Cross talked to the families about what his journey was like all those years ago. He was given citizenship but had never taken the oath.

"That got me my career. and my lifestyle and my wife and the life that I got," he said.

Cross noted that the history of American achievement came largely thanks to immigrants.

"I think the people that are coming here have a chance to make this country better. It's always been that way for over 300 years," he said.

He worries some in present-day America forget our history: "In the 1800s a huge influx of immigrants (came) and they built the country from thirteen colonies to all the way across the country."

"Yeah, I'm proud," said Slahaldeen after taking the oath. His father and his sister with a disability beamed too.

"This is the start of a whole new life for them," said Jerry Cross.