Choosing to move to the United States from Ireland in 2012 was the most-difficult and painful decision of my life.

I left behind my two young children, my family, my friends, my career and my country. However, having lost my business in the 2008 economic downturn, I needed to find a way to support and educate my children, and like so many Irish before me, I took the only step that I believed could help me achieve that – I left Ireland in pursuit of the great American Dream.

My wife (a U.S. citizen from Omaha, Neb.) and I were married in Boston in 2012, and afterwards, I began the legal process of becoming a naturalized citizen. The journey was complicated, lengthy, overwhelming and stressful. Thankfully, with a lot of support from my family, community and lawyers, I found my way through it. On Dec. 14, 2017, I arrived at the historic Faneuil Hall in Boston, and there was sworn in as a citizen of the United States of America.

Immigration has been the bedrock of this country since its formation. Much of the population of the United States of America shares in an ancestral story of migration. Those who emigrated before us paved the way for each and every citizen of this country. Those people who resettle now will also shape the future of our nation. I believe that this is a great opportunity to rediscover the challenges of the immigrant experience, and my hope for this conversation is that I can facilitate a better understanding of the profound nature of this journey.

Ciaran Nagle is an Irish immigrant, and Irish tenor and owner of Foundation Kitchen - Share Commercial Kitchen.