Drive-thru US naturalization ceremony hosted at San Diego’s Cabrillo National Monument

SAN DIEGO, Calif. - The naturalization ceremony is a special part of becoming a U.S. citizen. With the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, however, the ceremony has taken on a new look.

On July 16, more than 100 new U.S. citizens participated in a drive-thru naturalization ceremony at San Diego’s Cabrillo National Monument. To prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, new citizens were asked to partake from their individual vehicles.

“How do you hold naturalization ceremonies for new U.S. citizens during a global pandemic? Outside of course!” read a Facebook post from Cabrillo National Monument.

The post specified that, in partnership with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, a judge swore in 134 new citizens.

“This was one of seven ceremonies we hosted in June and July, for over 800 new citizens! We are proud to share this special day with new citizens and their families and welcome everyone to their national park,” read the post.