They were young businessmen in freshly pressed slacks and grandmothers in mu'umu'u and lei. They spoke with a multitude of accents, but all wore smiles as they raised their right hands and pledged to uphold the U.S. Constitution.

In a post-9/11 world, with stricter U.S. immigration controls, acquiring citizenship has become a goal with added significance for thousands of permanent residents. Being accepted as an equal was a driving force yesterday for many, who said they felt that the lines between insider and outsider have become more distinctly drawn.

"People will approach me differently now," Herrera said after the ceremony. "They'll see me in a different way." As a soldier in the 25th Infantry Division (Light) based at Schofield Barracks, he said being a citizen will also allow him increased security clearance in his Army work.

In a head scarf and lei, Mona Darwich-Gatto, 29, hugged her husband and 10-month-old son after receiving her citizenship certificate. Darwich-Gatto, who is studying sociology at University of Hawai'i-Manoa, grew up in Egypt and Brazil and has lived in the United States for seven years.

"This was something that without a question I always wanted to do," said Darwich-Gatto, an active member of the Muslim community in Hawai'i. "After 9/11, it became important. I really wanted to become a citizen so I could make more of a difference."

Monika Kathuria, originally from India, said that after yesterday's ceremony, she'd apply for a passport — "and then register to vote." Richard Ambo • The Honolulu Advertiser

It took Herrera two years to acquire citizenship after turning in his application. The process involves a background check, fingerprinting and an interview in which applicants are evaluated for their English language skills and quizzed on U.S. history and government.

Most immigrants must live in the United States for five years before they are eligible for citizenship, but an executive order signed by President Bush in 2002 made noncitizens serving in the U.S. military immediately eligible to apply, Rummery said.

For others, the process can take up to a decade. Monika Kathuria, 33, of Hawai'i Kai, applied nine years ago. After she completed her paperwork, her file was lost and she had to start all over again three years ago. (A federal report last week called the Honolulu office of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services one of the worst nationwide in processing applications for work visas, legal residency or citizenship.)

"It's been a long haul," said Kathuria, who owns an herbal supplements company.

Kathuria, who moved to the United States from India when she was a toddler, had tears in her eyes as she grasped her certificate. "I'm going to go downstairs and apply for a passport and then register to vote," she said.

When asked how her life would change as a U.S. citizen, Darwich-Gatto didn't hesitate: "I can vote. I didn't have that right before. It will definitely open doors," she said.

As a military wife, Darwich-Gatto also said being a U.S. citizen will make her feel like she belongs among her peers. "I will not feel reserved when I go into the base. I will feel like I have the right to talk to people," she said.

"People who were born here don't know what they have," she said. "When they complain about the U.S., I say: 'Go live in Egypt for a year. See how that is.' Here in the U.S. I felt for the first time I was being treated as a human, as a woman with freedom. Here I feel free."

Reach Carrie Ching at cching@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8054.