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Local English man takes oath of citizenship

Lead Summary
,
By
Mavis Fodness

After more than a decade of making the United States his primary residence, Luverne’s Miles Brown recently decided to make it his permanent choice by becoming a U.S. citizen.
Last week, surrounded by family members, Brown and 337 others took an oath of allegiance at naturalization ceremonies Monday, Sept. 28, at the Earle Brown Heritage Center in Brooklyn Park.
“I think it was cool,” he said. “Very emotional.”
Brown stood next to a Japanese woman and an Iranian immigrant as they listened to a listing of where all the attendees were from.
He admitted he has never heard of some of the countries, but he knows they will be living a better life in the U.S., one that he has been enjoying with his wife, Mary, and their five children, Brenna, Zoe, Tom, Zach and Liam.
That growing family had put the naturalization process on the back burner for Brown until six months ago when he decided to go forward with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service’s naturalization process.
He began the process by paying the filing fee and completing the required paperwork. Then came the personal interviews and the passing of English and civic tests.
The 40-minute ceremony to receive a certificate of nationalization completed Brown’s path to citizenship. At the ceremony he also registered to vote.
“To me, if you’re going to live somewhere, you need to be a part of the country,” Brown said. “I am very glad I got it done.”
He celebrated with his family at a nearby pub by ordering a meal reminiscent of his native England — fish and chips.

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