By Hola Iowa
The pregame naturalization ceremony, held before the Buffalo Bisons matchup, brought together candidates from 16 countries
The Iowa Cubs welcomed 29 new U.S. citizens during a naturalization ceremony held Thursday, June 25, at Principal Park in Des Moines.
The ceremony took place before the Iowa Cubs game against the Buffalo Bisons, continuing an on-field tradition the team has hosted for 18 consecutive years.
The ceremony began at 6:00 p.m. and was organized in partnership with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa.
U.S. District Judge Stephen Locher, of the Southern District of Iowa, presided over the ceremony.
The new citizens represented 16 countries and five continents
The citizenship candidates came from 16 countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Colombia, Congo (Kinshasa), Ecuador, Germany, India, Kenya, Liberia, Mexico, Nepal, the Philippines, Russia, Tunisia, Ukraine and Vietnam.
The ceremony included the Oath of Allegiance, the final step in the naturalization process to become a U.S. citizen.
The event was held on the field before the start of the game, a tradition the Iowa Cubs have made part of their annual calendar near Independence Day celebrations.
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The tradition began in Des Moines in 2009
The first citizenship ceremony on the field at Principal Park was held Sept. 4, 2009.
Since then, 533 new citizens had been naturalized through this annual event before the 2026 class.
In addition to the pregame ceremonies, more than 5,000 candidates have become citizens during other naturalization events held at Principal Park over the past six years.
The June 25 ceremony continued that tradition in Des Moines, with new citizens from five continents and a partnership among the team, USCIS and the federal court for the Southern District of Iowa.
See photos from the ceremony!
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