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Mongolia to Minnesota: One New Citizen’s Story
Posted on Sep 13 2018
Even as the spouse of a U.S. citizen, Oogi waited two years for a visa to enter the country. She recalls “a really long process,” with detailed background checks and lots of paperwork. While waiting in her native Mongolia, she worked in an administrative position in the field of agricultural science, the area of her university degree.
Finally, ten years ago, she got a visa as the spouse of a U.S. citizen. Oogi arrived in the United States on May 29, 2008. More than ten years later, on September 13, 2018, she raised her right hand and took the oath of citizenship in Moorhead. Her two U.S. citizen children and ILCM’s Martha Castañon, who had guided her through the citizenship process, were among the happy crowd at the citizenship ceremony.
At first, Oogi didn’t think about becoming a U.S. citizen. She was busy raising her children and retraining for her current job as a pharmacy technician.
In 2017, seeing hostility toward immigrants growing under the new administration in Washington, she decided to become a citizen. She explained:
“I wanted to be part of the citizens and vote and have my voice counted. It was the right decision to become a citizen and be able to vote. “
Becoming a citizen also took a long time. After turning in her application in early 2017, she waited almost a year and a half for her interview.
July 2, 2018 dawned clear and humid. Oogi drove from Bemidji to Fargo for the interview, about two and a half hours. “I was really happy,” she recalls. “It meant a lot just before the Fourth of July.”
Although she felt nervous, she and Martha had prepared well, and she soon got the notice that she had passed the interview and would be sworn in as a citizen in Fargo on September 13.
“I wasn’t really into politics or anything,” she said, “but then this last election really forced me to see how important it is whom you are going to vote for.”
Health care is a top issue for her, as she works in the health care field. She completed a second degree at Bemidji State University, graduating with a bachelor in science in biology and completing the pre-med program. She also has experienced the difficulty of paying for insurance. “When Bernie Sanders said this is your right, everyone should have insurance. I was like ‘Exactly!’ I worked in an emergency room and saw people without insurance and saw problems with the insurance system.”
Immigration is a big issue, too. “Part of the reason to become a citizen is that my kids are here and I’m not going anywhere,” she said. “But when I heard about the family separation on the border, it really hit me hard, and my kids were alarmed by it, too. So that’s important.”
Her message to other citizens:
“Voting makes so much difference. Think about it. There’s maybe a couple million who think voting doesn’t count, but every single person counts, and that’s really important. if you want to make a difference, or a change in your life, you have to vote for it.”