For More Information Contact:
Catherine Durland, (845) 486-2133
Poughkeepsie, New York: A naturalization ceremony will take place on Friday, April 5, 2019 at 2 p.m. at the Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College, 60 Manor Avenue, Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. Dutchess County Clerk Bradford H. Kendall will administer the Oath of Allegiance to approximately fifty individuals. The Honorable Edward T. McLoughlin, Acting New York State Supreme Court Justice and Dutchess County Court Judge will preside over the ceremony. The Honorable Christopher P. Gibson, Ph.D. will deliver the keynote address welcoming participants as newly naturalized American Citizens. Dr. Gibson currently serves as the Stanley Kaplan Distinguished Visiting Professor of American Foreign Policy at Williams College. He is a former Member of the U.S. House of Representatives and retired with the rank of Colonel from the United States Army. Opening remarks will be made by Dr. Leon Botstein, President of Bard College. Musical accompaniment will be provided by Madison Bishop.
Naturalization is the process by which U.S. citizenship is conferred upon a foreign citizen or national after he or she fulfills the requirements established by Congress in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). The bureau of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) processes all naturalization applications and provides the clerk’s office with a list of the candidates selected to be naturalized. All petitioners must then participate in a Naturalization Ceremony and swear to the Oath of Allegiance in a formal court proceeding.
The Dutchess County Clerk’s Office is honored to take part in the final step of the naturalization process. In Dutchess County, naturalization ceremonies are held bi-monthly to induct new citizens of the United States of America and are open to the public with all invited to attend. For further information about the ceremony or other programs of the Dutchess County Clerk’s Office, please call (845) 486-2133.
