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Naturalization ceremony in Atlanta welcomes 50 new U.S. citizens

The momentous occasion comes amid a backdrop of a government shutdown spurred by a stalemate on border security.

ATLANTA — Martin Luther King, Jr. talked about humanity tied in a single garment. That sentiment was shared in an event held at the King Center on Friday where 50 people officially became U.S. citizens.

Annabell came to the U.S. from Nigeria for school and later got married. She said that becoming a citizen fulfilled a dream.

"It means a whole lot for me because I waited for this day for so long," she said. "I mean, it's not easy to be a citizen of America - the greatest nation so far. And I'm happy about that."

Credit: WXIA-TV
50 new U.S. citizens attend their naturalization ceremony at King Center on Jan. 18, 2019.

The naturalization ceremony comes as the U.S. continues to endure a shutdown caused by another aspect of immigration and a stalemate between President Donald Trump and Congress.

RELATED: Delta grant keeps MLK historic site open for federal holiday, despite shutdown

The shutdown has already broken the record for the longest in U.S. history and is the result of a dispute on funding for a wall on the southern border and a new Democrat majority in the house blocking it from the federal budget.

Opponents to the wall and Trump's more strict view of immigration law have long called attention to the difficulty of legally entering the U.S. - and becoming a U.S. citizen.

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