Chicago — Jose Iglesias, U.S. citizen.
“My name is Joe Church,” he said, laughing at the English translation of his name.
Iglesias, who defected from his native Cuba in 2008, passed his naturalization test on Friday in Detroit. He is, a decade later, a citizen of the United States of America.
“It was huge,” Iglesias said Saturday morning. “I am so excited. I came to this country literally how I am dressed right now – with a pair of shorts and a T-shirt, and a dream to be an MLB player. I made it through and now I’ve become a citizen of this great country.