Nearly 300 foreign-born children received citizenship certificates this week at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) center in New York City. Children of naturalized immigrants can receive citizenship if they arrived in the United States as minors, but they must first go through a process at the USCIS to prove that they have become Americans. Photographer John Moore took these portraits of some new U.S. citizens. (14 PHOTOS)
Becoming American Citizens
1
Olivia Braddock, 4, was born in Armenia.
2
Seventh-grader Mohammed Tamim, 12, and his brother Mohammed Talha, 6, come from Bangladesh. Their father, Mohammed Firoz, is a naturalized American from Bangladesh who works in construction in Brooklyn, New York City.
3
Haadiya Adnan, 5, was born in Pakistan. Her father, Adnan Chaudry, is a taxi driver. The family lives in Brooklyn.
4
Fifth-grader Theodore Poncer, 10, born in France, holds his hand as he did for the oath of allegiance. His mother is a marketing consultant.
5
Third-grader Nolelis Almanzar, 9, and her second-grade sister Noreamy Almanzar, 7, come from the Dominican Republic. Their father, Norberto Almanzar, is a taxi driver.
6
Ifeozuwa Oyaniyi, 5, was born in Nigeria. His father, Oluwaseyi Oyaniyi, is a housing inspector, and their family lives in the Bronx, New York City.
7
Kimecia Hernandez, 18, from Trinidad, is a special-education student. She lives in Brooklyn with her mother, Jennifer Hernandez, who works as a registered nurse.
8
Layla Hussain Nasher, 11, immigrated with her family from Yemen to Newburgh, New York.
9
Juan Vasquez, 17, and his brother David, 18, are from the Dominican Republic. They live in the Bronx with their mother, Maria Arias, who works in a restaurant.
10
Ninth-grader Shifa Jahan, 14, was born in Bangladesh. Her father, Mohammed Firoz, works in construction.
11
Hamou Mohammed Amer, 4, was born in Algeria. His father works as a taxi driver in Brooklyn.
12
Eighth-grader Anastasia Varanetskaya, 13, was born in Ukraine. Her mother, Natalia Varanetskaya, is a medical professional.
13
Eighth-grade student Carlos Hernandez, 13, was born in Peru. His mother, Sisi Hernandez, is a domestic worker. The family lives in Queens, New York City.
14
First-grader Moussa Doucovre, 6, was born in Senegal. His father works in retail in the Bronx.