Tots Become U.S. Citizens in ‘Ceremony Unlike Any Other’

WASHINGTON — Sixty or so small hands, many of them clutching U.S. flags, were raised--sort of--Friday as children from 14 nations took the oath of citizenship.

Some observed the solemn moment by crawling down the aisle, wailing or running away from parents who wanted to record the historic moment on film.

“This is a citizenship ceremony unlike any other,” said William J. Carroll, district director of the Immigration and Naturalization Service. He need not have bothered.

The event was held in an auditorium at the National Zoo as part of the INS program called Citizenship USA. The children were able to be naturalized because their adopting parents are citizens or immigrants who became citizens.

They ranged in age from 2 to 5 and were rewarded for their attendance with a bag of animal cookies and the opportunity to watch as four elephants stomped pumpkins, an annual rite at the zoo after Halloween. The elephants were led to piles of pumpkins and were applauded each time they put foot to pumpkin.

The home countries with the largest representation of children were Russia with 16, China with 11, and Korea with nine. There also were children born in Ukraine, Georgia, Latvia, India, Colombia, Nepal, Guatemala, Paraguay, Romania, El Salvador and Jamaica.

Along with their parents, they joined Immigration Commissioner Doris Meissner in a pledge: “I will love and be true to the United States. I will support its Constitution . . . obey its laws . . . respect its flag and defend it against all enemies.”