N.C. welcomes new citizens on July Fourth

Thirty people took the oath of citizenship on the steps of the State Capitol Building in downtown Raleigh at 12:30 p.m. A reading of the Declaration of Independence followed.

At Camp Lejeune, 11 Marines, nine military spouses and two members of the Navy will become U.S. citizens in a ceremony on WPT Hill Field at 7:15 p.m. The service members and their spouses come from 15 countries, including Jamaica, South Africa and Lebanon.

Since September 2001, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has naturalized 60,257 members of the military in ceremonies across the United States and in 20 countries.