Friday, September 4 2009

Judge Dennis Dohnal, Federal Magistrate for the United States District Court, Eastern District of Virginia, to Preside at Ceremony and
USCIS' Norfolk Field Office Director Ja-Nel C. James to Swear-in the New Americans

Norfolk, Virginia – USCIS Norfolk, Virginia, Field Office Director Ja-Nel C. James will administer the Oath of Allegiance to 50 of America’s newest citizens at a special citizenship ceremony at "Scotchtown," the home of Patrick Henry, a hero of the American Revolution and first governor of Virginia, Wednesday, September 9, 2009. Executive Director Elizabeth S. Kostelny will be giving the welcoming remarks on be half of Preservation Virginia, proud steward of Scotchtown. Honorable Donald Lemons, Justice on the
Supreme Court of Virginia will also be making remarks as part of the program.

The new Americans are originally from: Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Bolivia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Brazil, Canada, China-People’s Republic of, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guatemala, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Jordan, Korea, Liberia, Malawi, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Russia, South Korea, Taiwan, Trinidad And Tobago, Serbia and Montenegro and Vietnam.

USCIS naturalizes about 700,000 individuals a year. During Fiscal Year (FY) 2008, 29,949 residents of Virginia became United States citizens. For more information about the naturalization process please visit the
USCIS website at www.uscis.gov.

EVENT: Citizenship Swearing-In Ceremony for 50 new Americans at Scotchtown – Home of Patrick Henry.

TIME/DATE: 11 a.m., Wednesday, September 9, 2009

LOCATION: Scotchtown – Home of Patrick Henry, 16120 Chiswell Lane, Beaverdam, Virginia,
directions to the site may be obtained at http://www.preservationvirginia.org/scotchtown/visit/.

CONTACTS: USCIS: Ja-Nel C. James, 757-858-6117, ja-nel.james@dhs.gov
Preservation Virginia: Tina Calhoun, 804-648-1889, x316, tcalhoun@preservationvirginia.org

NOTE: Media are requested to arrive no later than 10:30 a.m. for set-up and technical purposes.

Press Contact:
Tina Calhoun
Director of Marketing and Public Relations
Preservation Virginia
204 West Franklin Street
Richmond, Virginia 23220
804-648-1889, x316
tcalhoun@preservationvirginia.org