In 2018, Griselda Solis de Drucker was dealing with the end of her 30-year marriage and decided to get away from her native Argentina to visit an uncle living in the Madison area.
She had planned on saving up some money and returning to Argentina. But something unexpected happened: she fell in love.
“We were both broken,” Solis de Drucker said through a translator. “We found each other and we were then the perfect pair.”
The two were married in 2020 and began to settle into their new life together, intermingling their families. Solis de Drucker found work as a school custodian in Middleton. But there was just one problem — Solis de Drucker wasn’t an American citizen, living with the uncertainty of where to call home.
So in 2023, she began the process of becoming a United States citizen.
Years of hard study and patience paid off in March, when Solis de Drucker joined 40 other people to become some of the country’s newest citizens in a ceremony in Madison. They came from 20 different countries, including Algeria, Canada, China, Ecuador, India, Iraq, Russia and Thailand.
Under President Donald Trump, delays and denials for citizenship applications are growing, according to NPR and the American Immigration Council.
Nevertheless, thousands continue to become citizens in ceremonies around the country.
Naturalization ceremonies are held in Milwaukee and, more recently, Madison, a few times a year. Despite the gloomy weather, the Madison ceremony in March was a joyous occasion, as friends and family packed the courthouse to watch their loved ones take the next step.
For Solis de Drucker, citizenship is an answer to a prayer.
“I’ve always been Christian, going to Christian church, and I like to help the young people,” she said. “And so I asked God, if it was safe, I would stay, and if not, I’d go away.”
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‘Tremulous time’
U.S. District Judge William Conley, who administered the oath for the new citizens, acknowledged in opening remarks from the bench that it’s a precarious time for immigrants living in the U.S. as the federal government works to deport people living here illegally.
“This is a tremulous time in our history when some seem to be forgetting that immigrants are the very lifeblood of our country, far away benefiting,” he said, prompting a round of applause.
He joked he doesn’t usually allow applause in his courtroom, before adding: “Immigrants, far and away, benefit our country more than any cost some may impose. The economics of this is really beyond dispute.”
After Conley’s remarks, the new citizens swore an oath of allegiance to the United States, promising to defend the Constitution and the country’s laws, serve in the military if required and “perform work of national importance” when required.
The ceremony lasted a little over 20 minutes. Afterwards, the new citizens took photos with their families in front of the judge’s bench and next to a flag.
Among them is Jeanne d’Arc Wydeven, who immigrated to the United States in 2013 from Rwanda. She said the process of becoming a citizen was difficult because of all the paperwork.
“You have to make sure there are no mistakes. If there is a mistake, it may cause delays,” she said. “You have to be really careful not to miss anything, because your application may be rejected.”
Until this day in March, there was always an uncertainty hanging over her life, she said.
“It can be stressful not knowing where you stand,” she said. “You cannot travel. There is some work you cannot do because you are not a citizen. So it means to me, like freedom to do what I want to do and focus on achieving the dream.”
With her citizenship secured, she is especially looking forward to one new power: voting.
“That is exciting,” d’Arc Wydeven said. “And also being able to serve as a citizen if I’m needed. That is also exciting, because sometimes, you want to help, but you can’t, because you are not a citizen.”
Responsibility and freedom
Solis de Drucker has her own definition of what it means to be a good American.
“Be a respectful person, helping in any way you can,” she said through a translator with the Literacy Network, where she took English classes. “The first thing that will help everyone is God. This is the direction and the way to become a good citizen.”
She said she feels both a sense of relief and responsibility that comes with her new status. She’s looking forward to voting and doing more work with her church, perhaps traveling to other countries on missionary trips.
Her citizenship could also make it easier for her children to obtain a visa to come visit — and potentially pave the way for them to become legal citizens.
She talks to her adult children every day on the phone, and she said the hardest part of living in America for her is that separation.
“It’s hard not to see your kids grow,” she said.
With the blending of her American and Argentine families, she feels deep ties to both countries and could see herself living in either place. After becoming a citizen, she celebrated with her family and friends at Toro Y Pampa, an Argentine restaurant in Middleton.
But when asked if she will call her children later in the day, she says the celebratory call will have to wait. Another American custom comes first.
“I need to work,” she said.
