When Belmont Cragin resident Jairo Muñoz walked into Wrigley Field on Thursday morning, he was a Mexican citizen. About an hour later, he was sworn in as an American citizen.

“I’m excited,” said Muñoz, 26. “I’ve been here for nearly half of my life.”

The native of Guerrero, Mexico, was one of 977 people from 109 different countries who were sworn in as U.S. citizens at Wrigley. Democratic U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin joined the ceremony, administered by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

“You are welcomed to this country, and we are a better country because you’re here,” Durbin said to the newly naturalized citizens.

The ceremony comes amid ongoing immigration arrests throughout Chicago, and President Donald Trump’s Thursday social media announcement to order a cen

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