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For Citizenship Day, Local Resident Remembers His Path To Naturalization

Sept. 19 was national U.S. citizenship day. In 2014 alone 654,949 people became naturalized citizens, according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Miguel Barragán, who is from Chiclayo, Peru, is among those who recently received his U.S. citizenship, which took him nine years to accomplish.

 

 
“I feel fantastic because life is always a challenge for immigrants” Barragán said. “I feel like this is a dream come true.”  

Barragán started the process after he moved to Cache Valley eleven years ago after living in Miami. His wife and two kids later joined him from Peru and his youngest son was born in the United States.

Barragán was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints after a year of living in Paradise, Utah and later moved to Hyrum, Utah which he said was destiny.

“The Lord has a plan for everyone and I am sure this is the plan for me,”Barragán said.

Barragán said he is proud to be a U.S. citizen because he will finally be able to vote.

 

“The other principal point is because I want to show my kids if we work hard, if we save money, if we sacrifice, everything is going to beOK,” Barragán said.

miguel_full_interview.mp3
Click to hear the full interview with Miguel Barragan

Barragán said he is extremely grateful to be a U.S. citizen.

“I am sure we are in the best place and I am not talking about money,” Barragán said. “I am talking about freedom. Freedom of speech; freedom to choose whatever you want; freedom for everything.”

Barragán’s wife is in the process of getting her citizenship, too, but because she migrated to the U.S. after he did it will be another year or so before she gets it.