For Planning Purposes
April 18, 2018
MEDIA ADVISORY
Secretary of State Alex Padilla to Speak at Citizenship Ceremony in Oakland
OAKLAND - Secretary of State Alex Padilla will deliver the keynote speech at a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) naturalization ceremony at the Paramount Theater in Oakland on April 19. Secretary Padilla will be encouraging the new citizens to register to vote and the importance of civic participation.
1,018 new citizens, originating from 83 countries, are expected to take the Oath of Allegiance at this ceremony.
Secretary Padilla is the son of immigrants who became naturalized U.S. Citizens. His parents emigrated from Mexico and raised their family in the working class community of Pacoima, California. His father worked as a short order cook and his mother cleaned houses. Padilla attended local public schools and went on to graduate from Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. Padilla served as a Los Angeles City Council member from 1999 to 2006, including four and half years as Council President, and as a California State Senator from 2006 to 2014 before being sworn in as Secretary of State on January 5, 2015.
USCIS is asking new citizens and their families and friends to share the experience and photos at their ceremonies via Twitter using the hashtag #newUScitizen.
Media are welcome to cover this event, and to approach new citizens for interviews.
- Who:
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Secretary of State Alex Padilla
- When:
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Thursday, April 19, 2018
10:00 a.m. - Where:
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Paramount Theater
2025 Broadway Street
Oakland, CA 94612 - Note:
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TV cameras should be set up by 9:45 a.m. Secretary Padilla will be available for interviews prior to the ceremony.
- Contacts:
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Secretary Padilla: Sam Mahood or Jesse Melgar (916) 653-6575
USCIS: Sharon Rummery (415) 248-8873 (Office); (415) 987-0191 (cell)
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