Filipino family finally all together again

Jerry Delcano is proud to call himself a U.S. citizen.

“It started with my grandfather. He was a Filipino who joined the U.S. Army, and he later became a U.S. citizen. He petitioned for my mom to come here. Then my dad came. Then me and my brother.

“I was born and raised in the Philippines. After my parents left, we continued living in the same house with my uncle, aunt and a few other people. I finally got here in 2011 when I was 17. I knew we were all going to be together again eventually. It was just a matter of time. Doing the petition thing takes years. We did everything legally, but you have to be patient.

“I became a citizen just last year. It’s not the same as being born here, but it’s still pretty cool. I can now actually call myself a U.S. citizen.”

— Jerry Delcano