Bradley University hosted the state’s largest naturalization ceremony of the year. About 2,000 people gathered at the Renaissance Coliseum for the ceremony. Paul Phillips is a Supervisory Immigration Services Officer out of Chicago. He says typically there are quarterly naturalization ceremonies.
“Judge Shadid asked for a larger ceremony here. We have 600 new citizens here today from 100 different countries. That is the largest ceremony we’ve had scheduled here in the Central Region in the last 15 years."
Phillips says it’s also the largest known ceremony this year in the 17 state region. He says the ceremony at Bradley University is taking the place of six others that would normally run in Peoria, Urbana and Rock Island.