U.S. Magistrate Judge Anthony Patti and Washtenaw County District Judge Anna Frushour recently presided over a naturalization ceremony at the federal courthouse in Detroit. Judge Frushour spoke of her own experience of her family coming to the U.S. from a then Soviet-block country, and making a new life for themselves.
(Photo by John Meiu)
By Tom Kirvan
Legal News
Sixty-eight immigrants received a special welcome from one of their own August 10 at a naturalization ceremony in the Detroit Room at the Theodore Levin U.S. Courthouse on Lafayette Boulevard.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Anthony Patti co-presided over the naturalization ceremony with a special guest, Washtenaw County District Court Judge Anna Frushour, who immigrated to America from Poland as a child.
Judge Frushour, a University of Michigan alumna who earned her juris doctor from Wayne State University Law School, was just a young girl when she, her sister, and their parents came to the U.S. in search of a better life far away from the constraints of a then Soviet-bloc communist country.
“Many years ago, I too was in your shoes,” Frushour told those gathered for the swearing-in ceremony.
“My parents, sister, and I immigrated to the United States in the early ‘80s from Poland. At the time, Poland was under martial law, and combined with a deep recession that began years before, my parents feared for the future of their children.”
The political and economic uncertainty they faced served as the driving forces for the decision to leave their homeland in hopes of a more fulfilling life abroad, said Frushour.
“They made the selfless decision to escape the country and to come to the United States for a better life,” she said of her parents. “They left their home and family, never knowing if they’d see them again.”
Their journey, one repeated countless times over the course of American history, was framed within the context of one word, according to Frushour.
“I have no doubt that each of you have your own stories of fearlessness and bravery,” Frushour told those representing 25 countries, some of which have been trusted allies and others as bitter enemies.
“Stories of people, places, and things you’ve had to leave behind in order to come here and create a new life. All of these stories have one thing in common – courage. That courage that brought you here will continue to open doors and possibilities for you and your families.”
Immigrants from countries of the A to Z variety were administered the naturalization oath. They came from Albania, Algeria, Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, Greece, India, Iran, Iraq, Mexico, Russia, Syria, the United Kingdom, and Zimbabwe among others.
In short, they are now part of the American melting pot, that metaphor used to describe the fusion of different nationalities, cultures, and ethnicities.
Magistrate Judge Patti, a U-M alum who received his law degree from the University of Notre Dame, reminded the collection of new citizens of their rights and responsibilities, “such as jury duty and the right to vote and be heard, as well as seeing and enjoying their new homeland, the geography of which is as beautiful and diverse as its people.”
And yet, it was for Frushour to put the finishing touches on what was an especially moving naturalization ceremony, one steeped in memories and personal reflections.
“While often an immigrant’s journey is not easy, the grit and determination of immigrants is unmatched and I know will continue to serve each of you well,” said Frushour, a former criminal defense attorney before she was appointed to the bench in 2020. “This country was founded by immigrants and continues to be enriched by them. I hope you continue your traditions and culture here because the greatness of our country is best reflected in the diversity of our people and their experiences.
“This country and myself, as a fellow immigrant, is proud and lucky to have you as fellow citizens. Welcome.”
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