HIALEAH, Fla. – A 95-year-old Cuban immigrant became a U.S. citizen Friday morning.
Jose Alvarez was one of 181 men and women from 34 countries who took part in the ceremony at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office in Hialeah.
"Cuban, Cuban. Now American," said Alvarez.
Alvarez worked as a CPA and taught economics at the University of Havana before he retired at 75. He had to wait until he was 87 before he was allowed to leave.
"You've got everybody. That's a lot of generations," he said.
Alvarez's daughter and granddaughter brought him to the U.S. in 2008. He learned English and passed the citizenship test in his new language.
"For me, today is a great day," he said.
About half of the 181 new citizens came from Cuba.
"This is my country now," said Alvarez. "My head, my heart, and my arm for the United States today. This is the land that I love."