OGDEN — A pilot program in Ogden meant to encourage legal immigrants to take the extra steps required to become U.S. citizens has yielded results — 12 of the 19 students have completed the naturalization process, including nine on Monday.

"It was so rewarding to see the final step in the journey for these people," said Linda Lartigue, who as head of the Office of Community Engagement in Ogden oversees the city's Citizenship PATH program. Securing U.S. citizenship, she went on, "is obviously something that's life-changing for them and their families."

The 19 students completed the Ogden program last spring, and since then they have been taking the steps required to become U.S. citizens. Aside from the nine naturalized in a ceremony Monday at the Ogden Municipal Building, three had already completed the process. Four more are scheduled to complete a key interview with U.S. immigration officials that's part of the naturalization process in October, while the remaining three are awaiting responses from immigration officials to their citizenship applications.

Mayor Ben Nadolski and members of the Ogden City Council took part in the small naturalization ceremony on Monday, held in City Council chambers at the municipal building. Michael Crabtree, who heads the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services field office in Salt Lake City, also took part, leading the process.

"Congratulations to our nine new U.S. citizens!" reads a post on Ogden's Facebook page. "Together, we're building a stronger, more connected Ogden!"

In launching the first class last January, those involved weren't sure of the program's long-term viability. But Lartigue said Monday that private funding has been secured for a second class of up to 30 students, to start next March. She's hoping it becomes a yearly event. "It's something the City Council and the mayor are all very supportive of," she said.

Separately, the Governor's Office of Economic Opportunity will be launching an initiative in October through the Center for Global Talent and New Americans to encourage immigrants eligible to apply for citizenship to do so. Some 80,000 immigrants legally reside in Utah, and state officials estimate that 60,000 of them are currently eligible to pursue citizenship.

'People who have been here for many years'

Before launch of the new Ogden program earlier this year, the Weber County Library System had already offered a citizenship class for immigrants, helping prepare them for the history test and personal interview that are part of the naturalization process. The new program built off of that, teaming with other agencies to provide those taking part with help in filling out the complicated application for U.S. citizenship and funds to cover the application fee. Under the program, leaders and representatives from a cross-section of the community — law enforcement, the local judiciary, elected leadership — also visited the classes to discuss civic involvement with the students.

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Immigration is a red-hot issue in the country, with many clamoring for more security at the U.S.-Mexico border to halt the illegal entry of immigrants. Lartigue emphasized that those taking part in the Citizenship PATH program had already secured legal permanent resident status, which has its own rigorous requirements applicants must meet. "These are people who meet the federal government requirements to become naturalized citizens. These aren't people who are undocumented. These are people who have been here for many years," Lartigue said.

Of the nine naturalized on Monday, six come from Mexico with the other three from Brazil, South Africa and England.

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