ST. LOUIS — Twenty St. Louisians will become as American citizens at Busch Stadium Wednesday evening.  It coincides with Constitution Day and Citizenship Day.

A federal judge will preside as Deputy Clerk Jeanne Van Rhein administers the Oath of Allegiance to the 20 candidates prior to the beginning of the Cardinals’ game.

These 20 candidates come from Australia, Canada, China, India, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Philippines, Romania, Sudan, Togo, Turkey and Vietnam.

Annually, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services chooses these holidays to hold special naturalization ceremonies across the U.S. as they welcome new citizens. Multiple similar events will occur across the country through Sept. 23. 

Many of these events are at museums, schools, sporting events, and other notable locations celebrating “the conclusion of an immigrant’s journey to citizenship and honor the commitment they have shown along the way,” says USCIS. “Special venues not only make these events meaningful for those who have voluntarily chosen to participate in American democracy and dedicated themselves to the country’s future, but they also reflect the strength and spirit of the United States.”

According to the bureau’s American Community Survey, the St. Louis metropolitan region saw its foreign-born population grow by 23.2% between 2022 and 2023, translating into nearly 160,000 people. That’s a metric that puts St. Louis atop the country’s 30 largest metro populations.

“This is growth that’s coming from a number of different areas. Central America, South America, but it includes everything from international students to refugees that are coming here to family members that are joining their family here in St. Louis from other cities across the country,” said Suzanne Sierra, Assistant Director of the St. Louis Mosaic Project, which launched in 2012 with the goal of making the St. Louis region “into the fastest growing major metropolitan area for immigration by 2025.”

“What’s happening in St. Louis is secondary migration, so it’s already people that are work-authorized, that are already documented, that they have the proper documentation to be here. We’re not opening the gates for undocumented migrants to come in,” said Gilberto Pinela, Director of St. Louis’ Office of New Americans.

The advocacy for increased immigration to the region comes amid a national debate over undocumented immigration through the southern border, and a focus on high-profile criminal activity in the U.S. and Missouri, tied to undocumented immigrants.