Judge speeds up citizenship oath for pregnant woman with contractions

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A judge in Los Angeles sped up the naturalization of a pregnant 31-year-old Armenian woman Thursday when she said she started having contractions before the ceremony.

The woman, who was identified by Reuters by her first name, Tatev, said she was scheduled to give birth to her second child next week but she started experiencing contractions on her walk to the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Not to be deterred, she refused to leave until U.S. District Court Judge Cormac Carney swore her in as a citizen. Carney performed the impromptu ceremony before the one scheduled for 3,200 immigrants from 114 countries.

Tatev, 31, who is from Armenia and has lived in the U.S. for 17 years, said she experienced contractions before her U.S. citizenship ceremony. (REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson)

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She told Reuters the contractions stopped once she got home and rested.

The woman told the news outlet that President Trump's tough immigration policies prompted her to finish up the six-year naturalization process, which requires applicants to be permanent U.S. residents for at least five years, among other eligibility requirements.

On Wednesday, Trump said he was looking into ending birthright citizenship for children born to non-U.S. citizens and children born to undocumented immigrants.

Tatev, who has lived in the U.S. for 17 years, went into labor before her U.S. citizenship ceremony and refused to go to hospital until she was sworn in as a U.S. citizen on Aug. 22, 2019. (REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson)

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“I sped up this process because of the fact of the current president, because the immigration laws are under attack,” said Tatev, a former California high school history teacher.

She said she was fearful her green card, which made her a legal permanent U.S. resident, would be taken from her.