Like hundreds of others scheduled to become citizens in Chicago on Tuesday and Wednesday, Acosta had to temporarily put her dreams on hold after the Dirksen Federal Building was closed.
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“It was a great day for me,” the 33-year-old Rogers Park woman said. “Now it’s not. It’s going to have that shadow.”
On Thursday, Acosta and about 270 other immigrants were sworn in as citizens in U.S. District Court.
“I feel even more that they did it to my country,” she said of the terrorists after taking the oath to defend the United States.
The terrorist attacks lent a solemnity to the proceedings as U.S. District Judge Ronald A. Guzman administered an oath to people from more than 30 countries. The judge said the ceremony was even more meaningful than usual.
“Today, my country is your country,” he said. “By granting you citizenship, we put its future in your hands.”
Armando Matias of River Grove moved to the United States from Mexico 13 years ago with his family in search of a better life. He said he found the ceremony especially moving.
“Now I can be part of this country and defend this country,” he said.
Glendale Heights resident Priyanka Patel, a 22-year-old native of India, said becoming an American made her feel more a part of the tragedy and more united with those around her.
When the ceremony was over, Acosta walked to the Immigration and Naturalization Service office to receive a freshly typed citizenship certificate. Her original stated she became a citizen Sept. 11, the day of the attack.
It was a walk Acosta made gladly. Weeks ago, she memorized the date she would become a citizen. Now that day is intertwined with collapsed buildings, fires and death.
Thinking of her citizenship without also remembering the tragedy will be difficult, she said. A certificate showing a different date will help.
On the train ride home, she announced her new citizenship to strangers.
“I love this country,” she said. “It gave me my education.” It is where she married, had a child, and watched her parents and two brothers become citizens. Acosta said she could not wait to vote.
“I’ve accomplished something I’ve longed for so much,” she said. “It’s unbelievable.”