Source: Orange County Register
by Agustina Vergara Cid
“I’ve been asked a few times why I chose to become an American at this juncture — after witnessing the decline of our institutions, freedom and values at the hands of leaders across the political spectrum. I still chose to become an American because I know that what’s been happening in many realms in this country is not what America is about. I know that forcing businesses to close, as happened during the pandemic, is not the essence of America, but a betrayal of it. I know that cracking down on freedom of speech and having masked agents roaming the streets is anathema to our core values. … Every attack on freedom and individual rights that we see in our country (now and historically) is not a consequence of American founding values, but of the deviation from them.” (11/27/25)