Merlyn Haines passed through the metal detector and the ID check, holding her daughter’s hand as she walked the corridor to a windowless government room.

Inside, everyone smiled.

An Eastern European woman sat with a bouquet of flowers in her arms as a man in a flag-colored bandanna snapped photos. An Asian man sat with his daughter. And Haines, who was born in the Philippines, perched on the edge of her front-row seat.

For seven years, she lived in America as a foreigner. No more.

“This won’t take long,” said Rodolfo Lara, director of the Portland District Office of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in South Portland

It was time to become an American.

For days, the mere thought had sent Haines, 38, into eager laughter.

“It’s taken so much time,” she said.

Haines moved here seven years ago with her husband, David Haines of Auburn. Together, they had Francesca-Beth, 6. Things seemed perfect.

But since 9/11, their differences in nationality has become a worry. When the couple traveled to Canada last year, they were separated at the border.

As U.S. citizens, David and Francesca-Beth were guided through one door, Merlyn through another. Her belongings were searched. It was unnerving.

“We were made to be apart,” Merlyn said. No family should be separated.

So she began the citizenship process, studying after work at Banknorth to pass the required civics-heavy exam.

“She did it all by herself,” said her husband.

With citizenship, she can petition immigration authorities to bring her mother and father to America. And she can vote.

“I miss voting for my president,” said Merlyn, who has watched the debates carefully.

“I think Bush and Kerry are both good people,” she said. “But I like Kerry.” He looks smarter, thinks quicker on his feet and he’s different, she said. “I think it’s time for somebody new.”

However, she would see President George W. Bush’s image inside the government room.

First, she needed to take the oath.

Haines joined eight people who stood Friday morning, raised their right hands and promised to “support and defend the Constitution.”

It took only a minute.

“You are now citizens of the United States of America,” announced Lara, the immigration official, who then led the group through the Pledge of Allegiance.

Though she began to tear up, Haines recited the pledge perfectly. Francesca-Beth had taught her the words.

Then, she sat while the lights dimmed and the president’s face appeared on a TV screen.

“I am pleased to address you as my fellow Americans,'” Bush said on the recorded message. “Today, the United States is not only your home, it is your country.”

Scenic images followed – of lighthouses and wheat fields – as “Proud to be an American” played on the TV.

Then the lights came up and slowly, the newest Americans filed out.

In the hallway outside, Merlyn pumped her fist in the air proudly.

“I got it!” she said.