WICHITA – U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the U.S. District Court of Kansas will welcome 170 people as new U.S. citizens Friday at Wichita State University. Magistrate Judge Kenneth Gale will preside, and a clerk of the court will administer the Oath of Allegiance. 

The ceremony will take place at 11 a.m. at the WSU Eugene M. Hughes Metropolitan Complex, 5015 E. 29 St. North, Lowe Auditorium (one mile north of the university’s main campus), Oliver Street entrance.

The citizenship candidates originate from 39 countries: Bangladesh, Bolivia, Burma, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Congo (Kinshasa), Cuba, Czech Republic, El Salvador, Eritrea, Guatemala, Haiti, Hong Kong, India, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Laos, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Nepal, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Tunisia, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Venezuela and Vietnam.

The citizenship candidates live in Andover, Arkansas City, Bel Aire, Benton, Coffeyville, Colwich, Derby, Dodge City, Eureka, Garden City, Goessel, Great Bend, Hays, Haysville, Hill City, Hoxie, Hugoton, Hutchinson, Independence, Kismet, Lakin, Liberal, Marquette, McPherson, Newton, Salina, Syracuse, Turon, Wichita and Winfield. 

Musicians from Lawyers Pulling Strings will perform. The Northwest High School color guard will open the ceremony. The League of Women Voters will be in the lobby offering voter registration to new citizens wishing to register. 

USCIS encourages new U.S. citizens and their families and friends to share their naturalization photos on social media using the hashtag #NewUSCitizen.

USCIS naturalized approximately 808,000 people in fiscal year 2021. Many of them applied using USCIS online tools. To file online, individuals must first create a USCIS online account.