Citizenship ceremonies are great photo ops. On Monday, Kathy Gardner took these photos of 127 new U.S. citizens at a naturalization ceremony hosted by the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Eighteen of the new citizens are members of the military. Read on for Ben Rubin’s story.

About 65,000 immigrants — U.S. citizens and non-citizens — serve in the U.S. military. In addition, there are more than 644,000 foreign-born veterans of the U.S. armed forces, accounting for nearly 3 percent of all surviving U.S. veterans, according to the Migration Policy Institute. New York is home to 55,000 foreign-born veterans, who are eight percent of veterans here. The Philippines and Mexico are the top countries of origin.

Below, from left, Dean Joseph of Mount Vernon, Luis Espinal of Staten Island, Winston Newton of Brooklyn, Agata Kupidura of Queens, and Makenzy Francois of Woodhaven:

Ilyas Souda, 2, and his father Abdeljalil Souda, of New Rochelle. The Souda family is from Morocco:

Jack Scharfen, acting director of US Citizenship and Immigration Services, left, General Michael Linnington, Commandant of Cadets USMA, and Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y.:

Benel Pierre, of Brooklyn, a member of the National Guard:

Omar Rageh, 2, whose father, Mohamed Rageh of Yonkers, became a U.S. citizen:

Fulgencio Macauba of Nanuet, congratulated by his wife Josefina Macauba. The Macauba family is from the Philippines.

Newsday is reporting in detail on the stabbing death of Marcello Lucero, an Ecuadorean immigrant who authorities are calling the victim of a hate crime.

Seven teen-agers are charged with first-degree gang assault, and one is also charged with first-degree manslaughter as a hate crime.

But some immigrant advocates are placing further blame on Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy and the heated debates in the legislature over illegal immigration.

Here is a comment from Chung-Wha Hong, executive director of the New York Immigration Coalition:

We extend our deepest condolences to the Lucero family, and call on all New Yorkers to come together in the face of this terrible tragedy to affirm their commitment to diversity and inclusion, and commit to fighting racial violence. Such hateful acts have no place in our community and our nation.

This killing was not a random isolated incident without any context. It arises out of a climate of hostility towards immigrants that has festered in Suffolk County for many years, spurred on by irresponsible political rhetoric and divisive legislation.

This is not the first time that the scapegoating of immigrants has created an environment conducive to violence against immigrant communities, but it needs to be the last.

While we are grateful that the authorities have taken swift action, it is important for all Americans to understand that this is part of an alarming trend taking place nationwide.

For too long hate groups and hate speech have dominated the national debate on immigrants, mischaracterizing all Latinos and the institutions that serve them in the process. Lives are literally in the balance.

Some interesting news from two federal immigration agencies, ICE, the enforcement arm, and USCIS, the services agency.

• Immigration and Customs Enforcement chief Julie Myers is stepping down Nov. 15. Her appointment brought questions about nepotism and a scandal over an internal Halloween party — the one where she helped give an award for a costume of a Jamaican detainee with dark makeup and dreadlocks. A House committee found that she “failed to be forthcoming” about destroying photos from the event and “tried to conceal the circumstances surrounding the party.”

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff praised her work on enforcement operations such as the targeting of more than a half-million people who have been ordered deported or failed to show up for immigration proceedings. Four teams in the New York area made 1,600 arrests under that operation in the 2008 fiscal year, and 100 teams across the country made 34,000 arrests.

• U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services awarded a massive contract to IBM to modernize the processing of applications, still a paper-based system.

The initial contract is worth $14.5 million, with options up to $491 million over five years. The Washington Post reports that the value could go up to $3.5 billion if Congress approves a legalization procedure or some other overhaul of the immigration laws.

Partnering with IBM on the project are Blackstone Technology Group, Deloitte Consulting, EDS, Evolver, The Legacy Network, Sandler and Travis Trade Advisory Services (STTAS), Sapient Corporation, SI International, Unisys, and Visionary IntegrationProfessionals and others, according to a press release.

In South Africa, billboards of Sen. Barack Obama went up along the freeways as soon as he became the Democratic front-runner for president, says Lydia Buthelezi, who traveled from Johannesburg to Mount Vernon to witness a moment in American history.

Buthelezi, at right in the photo below, accompanied 98-year-old Reuben Horton to his polling place, saying the moment reminded her of Nelson Mandela’s release from prison and election to office.

She and Sibongile Buthelezi and Mary Maepa gave good-luck kisses to Horton before he cast his vote. They also accompanied his daughter-in-law, Joan Horton, to her polling place at the Graham School.

Photographer Carucha Meuse documented Joan Horton’s experience on Election Day in the video below. “With Obama, it’s a culmination of years of waiting for your turn to come,” Joan Horton said. “So many times, when blacks have wanted to do something, they’ve said: ‘Just wait your turn. The time is not right.’ And we’ve always had to temper our movement based on what the mass has felt.”

 In Mount Vernon and Yonkers on Election Day, I got to see some remarkable things. At Mount Vernon Democratic headquarters, I saw Mayor Clinton Young, who seems to be a rather reserved man, dancing on a table in the corner, away from the News 12 camera, all by himself.

I was reporting on the reactions of black Americans to Sen. Barack Obama’s election as president, and nearly everyone there seemed to speak on behalf of their ancestors, not just themselves. I’ll be posting more of those comments here.

In Yonkers, I got to hear Sayidana Brannan, the daughter of community activist Cheryl Brannan, describe what she liked best about Obama. The historical significance was not lost on her, even if she is 11. Here’s what she said:

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In her words, “This is a milestone, yes it is.”

So, after all that, how did Latino voters affect the election?

Overall, they went 2 to 1 for Sen. Barack Obama. They didn’t increase their 8 percent share of the electorate since 2004, but they moved further toward Democrats, says the Pew Hispanic Center. Notably, Florida Latinos went Democrat this time around. And they increased turnout in the key states of Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada.

Meanwhile, the National Conference of State Legislatures reports today on immigration-related propositions on the ballot. Crackdown-type measures went down Arizona, California, Florida and Oregon. But this one, summarized by NCSL, passed in Missouri:

English as the Official Language

Legislative Referendum, “Constitutional Amendment 1” amends the Missouri Constitution to add a statement that English shall be the language of all governmental meetings at which any public business is discussed, decided, or public policy is formulated. This includes meetings conducted in person or by other means of communication including conference calls, video conference, Internet chat, or Internet message board.

The referendum passed with 85% of the vote.

If you were calling for more attention to immigration during the presidential campaign, these late-breaking news reports about Sen. Barack Obama’s aunt and her asylum case probably weren’t what you had in mind.

But here it is, just as Election Day nears, the disclosure of Zeituni Onyango’s asylum denial, her unauthorized presence in the United States, and her residency in public housing. The story reminds me of the movie “The Visitor,” about an old asylum case that pops up when someone jumps a turnstile. AP reports that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has asked its inspector general and an internal office to find out whether the disclosure of Onyango’s status violated any policies. Obama has responded with a statement that the law must be followed.

The Sanctuary sees the story as a symbol of what’s wrong with the immigration debate, and Feet in 2 Worlds says it calls attention to the many “mixed status” families in the United States. American Spectator has unnamed sources saying her situation was known to the campaign. The Times of London says the timing of its story was nothing suspicious, and that the only mystery was why questions hadn’t been raised earlier.

Zafiro Romero and her mother, Aurelia Fernandez, are out today at the Hudson River Museum and the Pelham Art Center, sharing, explaining and celebrating the Mexican tradition of El Dia de los Muertos.  Aurelia, a folk artist from Morelos, kept her traditions alive when she and her family came to Yonkers. Now she’s become a familiar face at festivals around the area. Earlier in the week, Zafiro gave me a vivid description of the Day of the Dead as it is celebrated by her Mexican family. Here’s a short clip from our conversation. Click here for my story in the Journal News.

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In these photos, Zafiro and Aurelia are setting up an altar at the Hudson River Museum in Yonkers. As Zafiro told me, the plastic decorations can’t compare with the fresh marigolds, fruits and candies in Mexico. Click here to see an L.A. Times blog post about the scene in Mexico City’s zocalo.

Fruits, marigolds and candy skulls are among the decorations.