Daniel Romano helps give new citizens a comforting dose of humor

In a courtroom where more than 100 excited, nervous and anxious souls waited to become citizens, Daniel Romano was the happy face behind a desk.

Last August, Romano, 66, retired as a clerk at the Alfonse M. D'Amato Federal Courthouse in Central Islip, where he helped with the final processing for the naturalization ceremonies, which generally draw about 300 immigrants a week.

Since October he has performed the same job as a volunteer, working eight hours a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays, the days the ceremonies are held.

His role is procedural -- Tuesday he asked immigrants to verify biographical details on naturalization certificates and handed them out. But for him the brief interactions have taught him about priorities and reinforced his belief in acceptance of all cultures.

His job, he said, is to make people feel comfortable. It's a feat for a man who said he was once a loner and nervous to speak in front of a crowd.

"I know that people are coming here nervous. They're in awe of this big room," he said. "I'm the one who tries to lighten things up. . . . But sometimes you can feel that there is . . . not enough humor."

So, Romano, from Central Islip, would crack a joke or announce a birthday.

He practiced yoga for 10 years and said it helped him see "people in a more compassionate way."

"You see people doing this, and you say, 'Where are the differences in the world?' " Romano said. "We're all primarily the same."

Tapping his head, he said: "The differences only go on up here."

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, part of the Department of Homeland Security, oversees and organizes the naturalization process.

The agency welcomes about 680,000 citizens a year, it said.

In the Eastern District, which includes the Central Islip courthouse and one in Brooklyn, about 70,000 citizens are sworn in annually. It is the third-highest number of naturalizations in the 94 districts, officials said.

Romano spent 13 years as a deputy clerk in U.S. District Court in Central Islip. When he retired, he told supervisor Carol McMahon, chief deputy of the clerk's office, he wanted to help with the ceremonies.

"Other people who have retired have come back to say hello, and maybe bring some pastries and some cookies, but that's the extent of it," she said.

When he left, other clerks, on a rotating basis, helped process the ceremonies, but they can now focus on other responsibilities, McMahon said.

"He is very vested in the community," said federal Judge Joanna Seybert, who presides over the ceremonies in Central Islip.

Tuesday, Seybert swore in 150 people from more than 30 countries. They included a new Marine from Peru, a veteran Air Force reservist with British, Jamaican and Grenadan roots, and an engaged Mexican immigrant.

"It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience," said Sayuri Aguillon, 31, of Selden, whose fiance, Paul LeCorre, waved an American flag in a back row.

In a front row, Richard de Coteau, a master sergeant in the U.S. Air Force Reserves, wore his blue uniform.

"Men of great intelligence put [the Constitution] together," said de Coteau, 48, a married father of three living in Bay Shore. "It has given us the opportunity to have ideals that, in a large part, we strive to uphold."

Romano led new citizens in the Naturalization Oath of Allegiance and the Pledge of Allegiance.

Romano said he has learned valuable lessons.

Years ago, he said, a feeble man, who Romano was told had about a month to live, insisted on walking up to get his certificate. He leaned on two canes, and two relatives held him up.

"He took time out of his short life to come here and do this. I have to honor that," Romano said. "He taught me a lesson about priorities."