RANCHO MIRAGE— Igor Antoshevski is originally from Belarus but holds citizenship from Germany.

Ermina Feliciano is from the Phillipines, but now lives in Palm Desert.

Alejandro Martin Delcampo Barba lives in Cathedral City and came to the United States nine years ago from Jalisco, Mexico.

They are from different walks of life, but the paths of all three converged Wednesday, January 15, when they were among the 50 immigrants sworn in as U.S. citizens at a naturalization ceremony at Sunnylands Center & Gardens in Rancho Mirage.

The 50 new citizens hailed from 20 countries, with the most coming from Mexico and the Philippines. The other countries represented were Argentina, Australia, Belarus, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, France, Guatemala, Malawi, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Poland, South Korea, Syria, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United Kingdom.

Sunnylands President David Lane said the organization was delighted to host the naturalization ceremony for a second time since December 2023.

“Sunnylands is a place that embodies the spirit of diplomacy, service, and civic engagement,” he said, addressing the new citizens and their friends and families. “I urge each of our new citizens to actively participate in the democratic process. You will have the right to vote, to make your voice heard, and to advocate for the issues that matter most to you.”

Breann Acosta, an official for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which oversees the naturalization process, told the audience that “the beauty of the moment” is that they now stand together as U.S. citizens, despite their different backgrounds.

“The richness you bring from your individual heritage … will all be woven together today and added to the story of America,” she said.

Chris Shebel said Sunnylands was the perfect place for his father-in-law, Oscar R. Uvillus, who is from Ecuador, to pledge his oath of allegiance to the United States.

“The grounds and the organization of the event was spectacular,” Shebel said. “I can’t think of a more beautiful place for him to become a citizen and to fulfill not just a dream that he had, but also a dream that my husband had since he brought his father to the United States eight years ago.”