Celebrating citizenship

Star and Stripes
Igor Yakovlev arrived in the United States almost 12 years ago. This weekend, the native of Azerbaijan became an official American citizen.
MPR Photo / Nikki Tundel

Independence Day brings lots of things. Fireworks. Barbeques. Sunburns. And lots of media stories about new Americans.

American family
Igor, his wife Yuliya and their daughter now live in Robbinsdale. This April, Igor opened his own realty firm.
MPR Photo / Nikki Tundel

It's not uncommon for newspapers, television stations and radio networks to do reports about Fourth of July naturalization ceremonies.

But, as reporter Nikki Tundel discovered, there's a reason why those stories make the news every year. She talked to host Mary Lucia about what it's like to see immigrants and refugees become official, legal, American citizens.

At a naturalization ceremony at the Fort Snelling History Center, Nikki met Igor Yakovlev and his family. They talked about why they left their home country of Azerbaijan and what it feels like to become citizens of the United States.

Create a More Connected Minnesota

MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.