Posted on 06/16/2007 8:41:46 AM PDT by BornInASmallTown
WASHINGTON -- A little-noticed provision in the proposed immigration bill would grant instant legal status and ultimately full citizenship to illegal immigrants if they enlist in the US military, an idea the Pentagon and military analysts say would boost the Pentagon's flagging efforts to find and recruit qualified soldiers.
The Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act, or DREAM Act, is part of the stalled package of proposals that many in Congress are seeking to resurrect. The proposal, applicable to an estimated 750,000 undocumented residents of military age, stipulates that those who arrived in the United States before age 16, graduated from high school, and meet other qualifications could immediately enter the path to citizenship in exchange for at least two years' service in the armed forces.
Though the overall immigration bill was sidetracked earlier this month amid bitter infighting, the prospect of using military service as one pathway to citizenship appeals both to lawmakers who side with immigration rights advocates and those who want tougher immigration laws and tighter borders.
The prospect of recruiting foreigners to defend the United States has been a charged issue in the past. The Pentagon, for example, has opposed several proposals from leading defense specialists to recruit troops overseas -- a move critics liken to hiring mercenaries. Using the military service option for select illegal immigrants, however, appears to have widespread support as one way to deal with the burgeoning illegal immigration problem.
(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...
Let's not blur the distinction between legal and illegal immigration.
I'm presuming that your father-in-law was a legal immigrant when he joined the Navy. Many legal immigrants have taken this route to citizenship and I have no problem with that whatsoever. I think that anyone who's willing to serve in the military should get a bump ahead of those who aren't willing to.
OTOH, I don't think that the opportunity to join the US military should be made available to illegal immigrants.
What a perfect setup for terrorists, drug dealers, and assorted deviants.
Would you believe that some already do police our borders? Yup saw a story not too long ago where it mentioned one or two bortder agents who were caught that were here illegally in the employ of non other then ICE.
Good post.
After we have the border secured, and criminals deported, this could be an option for young adults that were raised here and believe they are Americans. We are no where near though.
Sanest comment on this thread.
Bush might just do that. I don’t know if he is mentally ill or evil, but he obsession with illegal aliens is scary.
It will give the globalists a military who will shoot American citizens when they get uppity.
Right now, they can’t depend on the military to do that.
The sanest comment on this thread was pulled.
CALL! CALL! CALL! CALL! AND KEEP CALLING TILL THE LINES FRY!
WRITE! WRITE! WRITE! WRITE! TILL YOU RUN OUT OF INK IN YOUR PEN!
Bombard the Democrats as well, especially the ones that ran on an anti illegal immigration plank and the ones in marginal districts who could be vulnerable. keep pounding on them. This is a bipartisan issue not a Conservative or Liberal issue BUT AN AMERICAN issue.
This article is unbelievably dishonest. It omits a critical fact. As an alternative to the two years of military service, eligible illegals can substitute two years of community college (or other college).
Now that’s absurd IMO—and the advocates of the shamnesty bill are trying to conceal it and play up the benefits to the military instead. Those using the two years of college option would also become eligible for all sorts of higher ed assistance (including instate tuition) at huge cost to the taxpayers. No one wants to talk about that.
They would get green cards in three years, pay no fine, and would not have to “touch back” to their country of origin. Keep that in mind the next time you hear Bush, Graham Chertoff, McCain et al claim that the process would take 13 years, involve a 5K fine and require people to leave the country.
: )
This I don't like.
Another non-starter.
Nothing surprises me anymore : )
Once they are made legal [amnesty] then they do become eligible. English proficiency and scores on entry tests must also be met. In 2000, about 530,000 Hispanic 16-to-19-year-olds were high school dropouts, yielding a dropout rate of 21.1 percent for all Hispanic 16-to-19-year-olds (U.S. Census Bureau, 2003). The Latino youth dropout rate was more than three times greater than the 2000 non-Hispanic "white alone" dropout rate of 6.9 percent. As a measure of the future schooling and social and economic prospects among teen populations, these aggregate status dropout rates clearly underline the disadvantages that Latino youth have, on average, upon entry to adulthood.
You never know what Bush will do next.....scary!
My great great Great Grandfather came over from Wales -served two years in the military during the civil war and was allowed to become a citizen immediatly after fulfilling his military obligation.
I think too often we forget that there are many people that want to immigrate to the US from places such as Ireland, England, Wales, Italy, Poland etc. but are unable to because there are quotas that keep them out.
By offering military service as a way in, we could get some wonderful first generation Americans.
Illegal immigration is not just from Mexico. We focus on them but many people from all over the world overstay their visas.
I say - if they are here illegally and have not committed any crimes - and can read and write English and have something to offer us - this is a way to pay us back. However - we should deport their families and they should serve for room and board and if they successfully fulfill their obligation - call the debt paid and then allow their families to reunite with them.
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