{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/durbin-duckworth-budzinski-welcome-300-new-citizens-at-illinois-state-fair-naturalization-ceremony", "Durbin, Duckworth, Budzinski Welcome 300 New Citizens At Illinois State Fair Naturalization Ceremony", "2026-08-19", "2026", "2026-08", "Democrat", "Senate", "IL", "Richard J. Durbin", "D000563", "www.durbin.senate.gov", "durbin", "https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "SPRINGFIELD \u2014 U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and U.S. Representative Nikki Budzinski (D-IL-13) today celebrated the naturalization of 300 new citizens from 52 countries at the Illinois State Fair Naturalization Ceremony. The Honorable Colleen Lawless, United States District Judge for the Central District of Illinois, presided over the ceremony and administered the Oath of Allegiance to the new citizens.\n\n\u201cWe are a nation of immigrants, and I proudly display my mother\u2019s naturalization certificate on my desk in the Capitol as a reminder of the pursuit of the American Dream. I was honored to welcome 300 new citizens today,\u201d said Durbin. \u201cTo our newest citizens: you now carry both the rights and the responsibilities of this democracy, and I'm counting on you to exercise and defend them. Together, we will continue to move this nation forward\u2014rooted in shared values and a deep love for this country.\u201d\n\n\u201cAs the proud daughter of an immigrant mother, I know that even though we may come from different countries, we may say different prayers and have different skin tones\u2014we\u2019re here as Americans because we love this nation, and our differences make us stronger,\u201d Duckworth said. \u201cDespite what some folks suggest, you can\u2019t measure the strength of this nation by the size of our defense budget or the height of our border walls. The true strength of America lies in our values\u2014that the impossible can happen to any one of us if we work hard, no matter where you come from\u2014you can rise, rise, rise. Congratulations and thank you for making America more American.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt was a true honor to welcome these new citizens today,\u201d said Budzinski. \u201cTheir path to this moment was no small feat. It required dedication, resilience, sacrifice, and courage. But with citizenship comes a powerful voice in our communities, schools, workplaces, and in our democracy. In these uncertain times, it\u2019s more important than ever that we come together to support our immigrant communities\u2014not just here in Illinois, but across the nation.\u201d\n\nPhotos of the naturalization ceremony are available here.\n\n-30-", 1, "2026-08-21T05:30:57Z", "2026-08-21T05:32:22Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/durbin-duckworth-budzinski-welcome-300-new-citizens-at-illinois-state-fair-naturalization-ceremony"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5977751463651657, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}