Tatev has lived in the United States for more than half her life, but when she began to fear she was heading into labour before her US citizenship ceremony, the 31-year-old refused to go to the hospital until she became a US citizen.
The mum-to-be started feeling contractions following a walk to a convention centre in Los Angeles where Judge Cormac J. Carney was naturalising more than 3,000 immigrants.
Nervous about the US President’s immigration policies, Tatev refused to leave until she was sworn in as a citizen - and District Judge Carney was happy to accommodate.
Tatev, 31, (L) who is from Armenia and has lived in the U.S. for 17 years, experienced contractions before her U.S. citizenship ceremony. Source: Reuters
An impromptu ceremony was held for the young mum before the official event began to recognise the other immigrants who gathered from 114 different countries.
Tatev returned home following the dramatic events and said her contractions stopped once she rested.
“I sped up this process because of the fact of the current president because the immigration laws are under attack,” said Tatev, a former California high school history teacher.
She said she was fearful her green card, which makes her a legal permanent US resident would also be taken from her.
Tatev took drastic action to ensure she became a US citizen before giving birth. Source: Reuters
President Donald Trump said on Wednesday his administration was looking at ending the right of citizenship for US-born children of non-citizens and people who immigrated to America illegally.
“I don’t want my kid to face these issues growing up in this country and having this be his home and not legally being part of this country,” said Tatev, who stays home to care for her 2-year-old daughter.
