Five Hauppauge Children Become U.S. Citizens

The end of a long process of immigration and citizenship paperwork is finally over for the Van Nostrand family.

The Hauppauge residents had their five newest adopted children sworn in during a ceremony at the new U.S. Citizenship and Immigration facility in Holtsville Friday.

Brendan, Skylar, Julia, Ethan and MaZhu, who range from in age from 8 through 11, will join the seven others who the Van Nostrands adopted over the past 20 years. They were among nine other children at the ceremony who will now be recognized as American citizens as well.

“It’s very exciting to be done with all the paperwork and have the kids be recognized as U.S. citizens,” said their mother Vicki, a physical therapy assistant, who was there with her husband, Richard, a machinist.

The Van Nostrand’s have no magical elixir when it comes to raising so many children, they just understand that being flexible in life really helps.

“Some days are better than others,” Vicki said. “We try to take it one day at a time and hope everyone doesn’t have a bad day as the same time.”

Are they done adopting?

“I don’ t know,” she said. “We’ll leave that door open.”

Julia, 9, who attends Mount Pleasant Elementary School in the Smithtown School District and the most talkative of the children, is happy to have new playmates, ones she can call her brothers and sisters.

“Normally, I don’t have a lot of friends to play with back in China because I didn’t go to school,” she said. “I was shy when I first got here and then I got used to it. I’m excited.”

From mock immigration tests to tours and general information sessions, the point of new U.S. Citizenship and Immigration facility in Holtsville is to ease the naturalization process for those involved said Andrea Quarantillo, the USCIS district director of New York.

“We’re trying to make the process as transparent as we possibly can,” added Charles Akalski, the field office director in Holtsville. “There are no secrets.”

Quarantillo said USCIS is opening facilities in Long Island City, Brooklyn and the Bronx over the next few years, eventually offering five locations.

“We’ll be well positioned,” she said.

Rep. Tim Bishop (D- Southampton) addressed the crowd during the citizenship ceremony and told the children the most important thing they can do as Americans is becoming involved, informed members of their community.

“This is a nation built on hard work, built on sacrifice,” he said. “Learn as much as you can and use it for the country that needs you. In order for us to remain a preeminent force in this world we need every bit of talent we can get.”