10-04-2025
63 new citizens are welcomed in Berks naturalization ceremony
Wednesday was a good day for Jhudd Jonathas, but Thursday might be even better.
The 34-year-old, who came to the U.S. from Haiti a decade ago, joined 62 other immigrants Wednesday inside a crowded courtroom at the Berks County Courthouse. Together they pledged their allegiance to America and became the country's newest citizens.
It was a moment that would elicit excitement and pride from just about anyone experiencing it. And while it did for Jonathas, for him it was just a thrilling steppingstone leading to where he really wants to go.
'The first thing I'm going to do tomorrow morning is apply to be a state trooper,' he said. 'I would love being in law enforcement because I want to help people. That's the field that I love and I think I can do some real good.'
'Being in law enforcement is really the only thing I ever wanted to do.'
Becoming a citizen provides Jonathas with an opportunity to make his dream a reality. Getting to that point, he said, was a long road.
Jonathas came to America hoping for a better future.
'This was all about the American Dream,' he said. 'It was really important for me to be able to say that I'm a citizen of this great country, and now I want to help others.'
Jonathas, who lives in Temple with his girlfriend and their two children, earned a degree in criminal justice from the Berks Technical Institute five years ago and is planning to start taking courses at Reading Area Community College this summer to become a certified recovery specialist.
Jhudd Jonathas is looking forward to becoming a law enforcement agent now that he is an American citizen. He was one of 63 immigrants who pledged their allegiance to their new country during a naturalization ceremony Wednesday at the Berks County Courthouse. (KAREN SHUEY – READING EAGLE)
He currently works for GEO Group, a provider of correctional and rehabilitation services, helping his fellow Berks County residents who are involved in the criminal justice system. But his real passion is law enforcement.
Until now, that passion was on hold because of his immigration status. He worked his way through the system, but even as he prepared to finally take the final step to citizenship he found himself delayed again.
He was scheduled to take the oath of allegiance to his new home last year, but the ceremony was canceled due to a campaign stop by President Donald Trump at the Santander Arena in October.
All of the waiting made Wednesday feel particularly sweet, he said.
'It feels great to finally be here,' he said.
Jonathas story was just one of many from Wednesday's naturalization ceremony, each unique but also similar in many ways. The new citizens started their journeys in nine different countries and took 63 different paths, but they all shared a desire to make the U.S. their official home.
That includes Irene Dominguez.
She came to the U.S. in 2019 from the Dominican Republic with her then husband and two children.
The 40-year-old said her main priority when immigrating was making sure she could provide more opportunities to her children than what they would have had.
'I thought we would be able to have a better life,' she said.
Irene Dominguez poses for the first time as an American citizen after she received her official naturalization paperwork during a ceremony Wednesday at the Berks County Courthouse. (KAREN SHUEY – READING EAGLE)
Dominguez has worked hard to make that happen. She is currently working in food service for the Reading School District and trying to make sure her kids have everything they need to be successful.
As for finally taking the oath, Dominguez said she was excited because she will now be able to vote and have her voice heard at the ballot box.
'It feels very good to be a citizen,' the Reading resident said.
During the naturalization ceremony, the Berks County Bar Association invited a number of special guests to speak to the new citizens about the importance of playing an active role in the community.
Berks County Judge James Lillis, who presided over the ceremony inside the overflowing courtroom, thanked all the family and friends who have supported the new citizens on their journey. He said the decision is not one to be taken lightly and that the process can be arduous.
The keynote speaker, local entrepreneur Hamid Chaudhry, told the county's newest citizens that he understands more than most what that journey means.
Chaudhry immigrated to the U.S. from Pakistan with his mother in 1988 when he was a young man and became a naturalized citizen in 1997.
He said he was born poor and uneducated in the slums of Pakistan.
But he said that when he got to the U.S. he put in the work, taking classes at a community college in Chicago to learn the language before eventually going on to earn a degree in finance.
'I'm so grateful to America for all the opportunities that it gave me,' he said.
Chaudhry stressed that while he was speaking to people who may come from very different countries than him, practice a different religion or speak another language, they all share a common link. They all have chosen to be Americans.
'We are all Americans by choice,' he said.
Local entrepreneur Hamid Chaudhry, who served as the keynote speaker at a naturalization ceremony Wednesday at the Berks County Courthouse, told the county's newest citizens that he understands more than most what it means to choose to be an American. (KAREN SHUEY – READING EAGLE)
But he apologized for the current environment that they find themselves in — with anti-immigration growing and deepening in many corners of the country.
He said that when he came he felt welcomed. He cited a speech given by Ronald Reagan in January 1989 in which the late president said that he believed immigration is 'one of the most important sources of America's greatness.'
In the speech, Reagan said: 'We lead the world because, unique among nations, we draw our people — our strength — from every country and every corner of the world. And by doing so we continuously renew and enrich our nation.'
Chaudhry acknowledged that there is a strong anti-immigration sentiment in America right now, and said he takes personally responsibility for not doing enough to help change the minds of those who feel that way.
'It is up to you to change that perception,' he said. 'Please help me change those minds throughout this land so that people can see all the good that we can offer. And, in return, you will see all that this country can offer you.'
