As the US turns 250, new citizens feel pride and unease: ‘It’s survival’

Amid Trump's immigration crackdown, thousands take the oath of allegiance in a US not as welcoming as in the past'

In June, Yesica McKeone officially became a US citizen. At the naturalization ceremony, she raised a hand and took the oath of allegiance to a country on the verge of its 250th anniversary. Thousands of new citizens recited the oath alongside her. Some cried softly.

I'm finally here," McKeone, 32, remembered thinking about her citizenship journey. At two years old, she left Michoacan, Mexico, with her family and settled in California, where she became a permanent resident. Now, home is a pastoral patch of land in Solvang, in the heart of California's central coast.