News Release

Over one hundred and fifty new citizens to be naturalized at Mount Rushmore

The Naturalization Ceremony is occurring on Flag Day

NPS Photo / A. Rimstidt

News Release Date: June 10, 2024

Contact: Earl Perez-Foust, 605-574-3115

KEYSTONE, SD –– On June 14, 2024, Mount Rushmore National Memorial will host a Naturalization Ceremony in honor of Flag Day. The National Park Service, the U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will welcome more than 150 people from over 40 countries.

The event will begin at 10:00 a.m. and take place in the outdoor Amphitheater located in front of the Lincoln Borglum Visitor Center. The public is welcome to attend the ceremony and join the celebration. The ceremony will also feature performances by the 484^th Army Band, Dakota Choral Union, and Lakota artist Sequoia Crosswhite. In addition, Pennington County Auditor’s Office will have a booth setup for voter registration.

Flag Day celebrates the anniversary of the day – June 14, 1777 – the Second Continental Congress adopted the Stars and Stripes as the official flag of the United States. The first national observance of Flag Day took place 100 years later, on June 14, 1877. In celebration of the Naturalization Ceremony and Flag Day, the park will be replacing all individual flags in the Avenue of Flags with the national flag of the United States of America. Every day of the year, the Avenue of Flags highlights the strength of the United States by recognizing the differences that span across individual states and territories. However, to welcome the new citizens to the United States the Avenue of Flags will celebrate the unity that binds all American citizens together. All state and territory flags will be returned to the Avenue of Flags by June 15.

Ceremonies held in national parks advance the meaning and stature of citizenship by building connections between new citizens and America’s parks. Since 2006, hundreds of special naturalization ceremonies have been held at many of the 429 places safeguarded by NPS across the country. The USCIS and NPS partnership promotes citizenship and naturalization by holding ceremonies at national parks and historic federal landmarks that best represent the strength and spirit of the United States. 

About the National Park Service: More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 429 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov and on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.