Immigrants take U.S. citizenship oath at Elkhorn Slough

Fifty-three immigrants from 16 countries became U.S. citizens this week while tea party activists protested outside. I thought they were for legal immigrants. - - Donna Poisl

By DENNIS TAYLOR, Herald Staff Writer

Mist fell from an overcast sky early Tuesday, but the moisture in the eyes of some new U.S. citizens was pure emotion as they joined in singing the "Star Spangled Banner."

"This is a really important day in my life — it means an awful lot," Helen Wilby said at the citizenship ceremony at Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve.

Wilby first visited the U.S. from England as a teenager, got a green card and a job in the Bay Area as a 30-something, and now lives with her husband and son in Carmel Valley.
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