Posted on 02/16/2009 8:20:25 AM PST by lewisglad
WASHINGTON: For decades, high-skilled professionals from across the world, particularly India, have fought their way to US citizenship through legal immigration channels — a process that can take up to a decade or more. Now, Uncle Sam is making it easy. Fight your way — literally — to American citizenship in as little as six months.
In a far reaching proposal, the US military will open its doors to skilled immigrant guest workers (such as those who hold H-1B visas) who have lived in the US for a minimum of two years. The move is aimed at offsetting the poor recruitment intake from traditional sources at a time the US military is stretched thin by deployments in Iraq and the Af-Pak theater.
US Green card holders, also known as permanent residents, have long been eligible to enlist in the military. But this is the first time since the Vietnam War that the armed forces will be open to temporary immigrants and offer them a path to citizenship, a move that in some ways amounts to outsourcing its wars.
The program comes at a time when skilled immigrants in the US are facing a slowing job market, offering them an avenue to turn potential pink slips into not just Green cards, but citizenship — if they are so obsessed about their American Dream.
A pilot program that will take in 1000 immigrant recruits nationwide will begin in New York City in the first year, according the New York Times, which first reported the development on Sunday.
By going to the pool of skilled immigrants, recruiters actually expect to improve the quality of US military personnel, since most foreign skilled guest workers typically have more education, foreign language skills and professional expertise than many Americans who enlist. This is expected to help the military to fill shortages in medical care, language interpretation and field intelligence analysis.
The program is particularly germane to Indian guest workers who constitute the largest segment of skilled foreign workers in the US, and although Spanish-speaking Latinos constitute the largest group of immigrants, they are largely unskilled.
The one-year pilot program in New York City that will recruit 550 personnel (rest 450 will come from across the country) explicitly excludes Spanish speakers, while being open to immigrants who speak one or more of 35 languages, including Hindi/Urdu, Tamil, Arabic, Chinese, Nepalese, Pashto etc. US officials have said in the past that they sorely lacked field intelligence operatives with requisite language skills to be deployed in the Af-Pak theater.
The army’s program will also include about 300 medical professionals to be recruited nationwide. If the pilot program, which is restricted to the army and some other agencies, succeeds, it will expand for all branches of the military
Why don’t they just create the “American Foreign Legion”.
Why not indeed? After all, right now, a lot of Visas are literally allocated by Lottery and most of the rest go to “family reunification” purposes.
If this were to be expanded, I would volunteer in a heartbeat.
Why not, it worked sooo well for the Romans in 378 A.D.
Oh wait...
> Why don’t they just create the “American Foreign Legion”.
I have always thought that would be a great idea. It works really well for France, and has done for nearly 200 years.
When I was in the military in the 1990s, I could have sworn that there was a program which allowed foreigners to enlist and achieve citizenship upon completion of a 4 year enlistment term. I knew a Filipino guy who, if I remember right, had enlisted into such a program.
This is a fast track to citizenship I can at least be comfortable with. If they’re willing to sacrifice more than the vast majority of Americans do for their new country, then I have no problem with making them citizens.
That is my recollection as well.
Had an Iraqi in my unit that was doing this.
You mean the American Legion of Foreigners (ALF), right?
It worked OK for the French and British. I seem to recall that the Hessian mercenaries used in the American revolution were exemplary - NOT!
The only way for people in that world to have citizenship was to join the military.
My father-in-law became a US citizen in much this manner circa WWII.
He served the duration of the war, and then some, with mutiple tours in Europe and Korea.
So all of the Palestinian refugees Obama has told to come to the US now get to join “his” army?
FReepmail
I think they get a provisional green card or somesuch.
At least they are using a legal avenue. If they are willing to put their lives on the line to become Americans, provided their backgrounds check out, I have no problem with it.
Actually, it worked for the Romans for about 300 years. The Romans enlisted subject peoples as specialists, notably cavalrymen from Gaul,Batavians [who were instrumental in conquering Britain] as auxilliaries. After serving 25 years, they received Roman citizenship.
The problem later was that the Romans enlisted foederatii directly into the Legions, because Romans were no longer signing up to serve in the necessary numbers. The Romans also stifled assimilation, and reneged on bargains with the tribes they enlisted [usually for land].
“Skilled immigrants.” In other words, democrat voters. Hussein is creating a force of left wing, anti-American, pro-democratic party mercenaries, trained and equipped at taxpayers expense. These will be the new brownshirts, the Hussein Gestapo, working only for his best interests, not for those of the nation. This is scary stuff.
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