At 97, Cuban native takes oath as U.S. citizen
ALEJANDRA CHAPARRO
El Nuevo Herald
Jan 30, 2007
By becoming a U.S. citizen on Friday, Cuban-born Juana Montenegro demonstrated that you're never too old to make your dreams come true.
She is 97.
Montenegro, who arrived in the United States in 1952 with a teenage son, waited 55 years to go through the naturalization process.
''I feel happy to take the oath as a citizen. This is the dream I hoped to make reality before dying,'' Montenegro said Friday.
She rose early in the morning to arrive on time at the immigration offices at 77 SE Fifth St., accompanied by her granddaughter, Marison Martín Nives.
When she left Cuba, Fulgencio Batista had just become Cuba's dictator.
The idea to leave her birthplace in the province of Matanzas came because she needed to give her family freedom and a better future, she said.
At first, Montenegro settled in New Jersey, where her daughter lived. Shortly thereafter, her husband and two other sons joined her in the United States.
''My husband died 30 years ago and ever since then, perhaps because I missed him so badly, I became careless and didn't follow the process for my citizenship. I focused on looking after my family, my children and my grandchildren,'' said Montenegro, who moved to Miami 20 years ago.
The citizenship test was no problem for her.
''When I had free time after doing my housework, I studied the test papers,'' she said.
Montenegro's family will gather today to celebrate the new U.S. citizen in the family.
''This is a very special event for us, so the entire family will gather at a restaurant to make this an unforgettable day,'' said Martín Nives.
According to Ana Santiago, the spokeswoman for the naturalization office, it is not often that someone Montenegro's age applies for citizenship.
''This case shows the dedication and the desire of a person to become a citizen. Some people overcome all obstacles; she went clear beyond that,'' Santiago said.
''My husband would be very happy to learn that beginning today I am an American citizen,'' Montenegro said. ``Although a long time has passed since he died, I remember him every day.''
