For Shawndail McLaren, becoming a United States citizen on Wednesday was about participating in American democracy.

“I’m married. I’ve got two kids,” said the 30-year-old, who left Jamaica a decade ago to study at Purdue University. “I just want to exercise my right to get an opportunity to vote and participate being a citizen.”

McLaren was one of 222 people from 48 countries who took the Oath of Allegiance during a naturalization ceremony at Carmel’s Allied Solutions Center for the Performing Arts. The group filled the auditorium floor, buzzing with excitement beneath a glow of red, white and blue lights.

The ceremony, administered by Judge James R. Sweeney of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, also served as an early celebration of  the U.S.’s 250th birthday.

“So, my fellow Americans, again, congratulations and welcome to the family. You are now a part of the dream that is called America — a 250-year experiment in governance by the people and for the people,” Sweeney told the crowd. “We are so proud of you, so fortunate and honored to call you Americans.”

The Indiana Wind Symphony and the Indiana National Guard Band performed the Star-Spangled Banner.

While some new citizens waited only months for the moment, others waited nearly six decades. Jessenia Arevalo, 36, said it was a 19-year journey to citizenship after leaving El Salvador.

“I want to be a part of this country,” Arevalo said. “I want to vote in the next election. I want to be part of this beautiful country.”

Nitesh Tripathi, 25, came from Nepal and currently serves in the U.S. Army. He said he hopes to become an officer now that he is a citizen and, later, a cybersecurity officer with the Department of Defense.

“Everybody there was excited,” Tripathi said of his fellow new citizens. “I think it was maybe somebody’s — almost everybody’s — dream come true.”

Lorena Caballero, a 46-year-old from El Salvador, said she was looking forward to a better life now that she has U.S. citizenship: Iit will be easier to get a job and to visit her home country.

“It’s not easy. It’s a long way,” Caballero said of the citizenship journey.

The event was the seventh naturalization ceremony at the event center in Carmel — an Indianapolis suburb recently selected for a new U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office.

Voter registration drive

The focus on civic participation continued after the ceremony ended. People spilled into the foyers, where the League of Women Voters of Indianapolis and the Marion County Board of Voters Registration helped people register to vote.

Barbara Tully, with the League, said her organization works to provide nonpartisan, trustworthy information to counter election disinformation.

“Everybody deserves good, unbiased, nonpartisan information on elections,” she said. “There’s so much disinformation and misinformation out there, and we are working to counter that.”

The outreach appeared effective. About 178 new citizens — or about 80% of the group — registered to vote after the ceremony, according to the Carmel center spokesperson Scott Hall.

 

The deadline to register to vote in Indiana’s next election, the May 5 primary, is April 6.

Indiana has recently enacted new laws related to registration and voting, including requiring proof of citizenship. State leaders have sought to root out voting by noncitizens, even though it is rare.

During the ceremony, Judge Sweeney paraphrased Mexican poet Octavio Paz, telling the new citizens that they are now defined by what they will do for their country.

“For centuries, the word American has designated a person who was defined not by what he or she had done, but by what they would do. You are all capable of doing great things, and we expect as much of you, for it is the common citizen that makes this country great,” Sweeney said. “Thank you all for your perseverance.”

At a ceremony in Indianapolis last December, 38 immigrants who completed the naturalization process were turned away.

WFYI is reporting on the local impacts of immigration policy. If you have a tip or want to get in touch, contact data journalist Zak Cassel at [email protected]

US regulators have disclosed that an MHIRJ CRJ700 diverted to Washington Dulles after an object apparently punctured the radome during departure from Washington National.

The aircraft – operated by PSA Airlines on behalf of American Airlines – had been bound for Birmingham, Alabama.

It took off from National’s runway 15 at about 23:30 on 9 March.

The US FAA states, in a preliminary notification, that the jet “struck an object on take-off” and diverted to Dulles.

“Post-flight inspection revealed a hole in the radome,” it adds. The regulator identifies the airframe as N517AE.

It has not disclosed the extent of the radome damage nor the nature of the object involved in the incident, but the aircraft appears to have returned to service the following day.

Divorce lawyer warns Gen Z won’t get fair settlements using AI chatbots. Hossein Berenji, founder of Berenji & Associates in Los Angeles, says 27 divorces per 1,000 Gen Z people rely on artificial intelligence despite serious legal risks. A federal court ruling on February 17, 2026, revealed AI conversations aren’t protected like lawyer-client chats.

Why Gen Z Trusts AI Over Lawyers

Generation Z has normalized asking artificial intelligence for everything from relationship advice to financial planning. According to Berenji, younger adults describe ChatGPT and Copilot in personal terms: therapist, coach, friend. Nearly half of Gen Z workers confide secrets to AI chatbots they’ve never told anyone else. When a generation already trusts AI with mental health, turning to bots for divorce strategy seems like a natural next step.

Cost and convenience fuel this trend. Online divorce platforms and general-purpose chatbots cost significantly less than traditional legal counsel. Young couples facing separation often lack resources for expensive attorneys, making low-cost AI alternatives irresistible.

The Catastrophic Legal Risks No One Warns About

The problem is confidence masking ignorance. Chatbots can sound authoritative while completely missing the state-specific rules that decide custody, property split, and financial support. California law presumes community property is split 50-50 between spouses, but an AI tool might suggest a 60-40 split that sounds fair while violating state statute.

Custody decisions follow strict best interest standards that judges must apply at trial. A parenting schedule bot can generate a neat calendar without addressing abuse history, school stability, or whether one parent undermines the other’s relationship with children. That agreement could collapse in court, forcing young couples back to expensive litigation.

What Courts Are Saying Right Now

Federal judges have begun issuing stark warnings. In United States v. Heppner, decided February 17, 2026, the court ruled that materials created using public AI chatbots lack attorney-client privilege and work product protection. Bradley Heppner, facing federal fraud charges, used an AI tool independently to analyze his legal situation. Prosecutors gained full access to everything he typed, including sensitive strategy.

The ruling applies directly to divorce cases. If a Gen Z spouse enters financial details or custody concerns into ChatGPT, the opposing lawyer can demand those conversations during discovery. Public AI platforms don’t guarantee confidentiality, making every entry potentially discoverable evidence.

“When a generation already trusts AI with their deepest anxieties, it’s a short jump to trusting it with divorce strategy, and that’s where the legal risk skyrockets.”

— Hossein Berenji, Founder and Divorce Attorney at Berenji & Associates

How Regulators Are Responding to the AI Divorce Crisis

California’s State Bar has issued urgent guidance telling attorneys they must verify all AI output as unreliable. The California Judicial Council adopted a rule requiring courts using AI to develop internal safeguard policies. U.S. courts have sanctioned attorneys caught submitting briefs with fabricated AI-generated citations.

Lawyers face fines and disciplinary action, yet Gen Z clients using AI face no such accountability. Only skilled family law professionals can navigate complex custody evaluations, asset discovery, and spousal support calculations. When 35 percent of law firms and corporations have already integrated generative AI into legal work, the gap between professional and consumer use grows sharper.

Can Gen Z Afford Fair Divorce Settlements Without Proper Representation?

The answer isn’t encouraging. Traditional divorce attorney fees range from $2,000 to $10,000+ for uncontested separations, while contested cases easily surpass $15,000 to $50,000. For Gen Z with student debt and limited savings, this feels impossible. But using AI chatbots to avoid those costs often results in unfair settlements that cost far more later.

A Gen Z spouse who accepts a $50,000 undervaluation of marital property through an AI-drafted agreement loses substantially more than lawyer fees. Courts recognize unfair AI agreements as unenforceable, leading to appeals, re-litigation, and ultimately costs that exceed hiring counsel initially.

Sources

• Berenji & Associates Press Release – Divorce attorney warning about AI chatbots and unfair Gen Z settlements in California, March 2026
• Dentons Law Firm Analysis – Federal court case United States v. Heppner on AI privilege loss and attorney-client confidentiality, February 2026
• Family Law Research – Gen Z divorce statistics showing 27 divorces per 1,000 and reliance on AI for legal guidance

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