Posted on 07/05/2018 7:24:45 PM PDT by tkocur
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Some immigrant U.S. Army reservists and recruits who enlisted in the military with a promised path to citizenship are being abruptly discharged, the Associated Press has learned.
The AP was unable to quantify how many men and women who enlisted through the special recruitment program have been booted from the Army, but immigration attorneys say they know of more than 40 who have been discharged or whose status has become questionable, jeopardizing their futures.
“It was my dream to serve in the military,” said reservist Lucas Calixto, a Brazilian immigrant who filed a lawsuit against the Army last week. “Since this country has been so good to me, I thought it was the least I could do to give back to my adopted country and serve in the United States military.”
Some of the service members say they were not told why they were being discharged. Others who pressed for answers said the Army informed them they’d been labeled as security risks because they have relatives abroad or because the Defense Department had not completed background checks on them.
Spokespeople for the Pentagon and the Army said that, due to the pending litigation, they were unable to explain the discharges or respond to questions about whether there have been policy changes in any of the military branches.
Eligible recruits are required to have legal status in the U.S., such as a student visa, before enlisting. More than 5,000 immigrants were recruited into the program in 2016, and an estimated 10,000 are currently serving. Most go the Army, but some also go to the other military branches.
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...
GET THEM OUT!! AMERICANS ONLY!!Are we crazy?
Lots of folks get discharged from the military all of the time. Citizen, legal immigrant whatever. Get a drunk driving and you get kicked out.
Didn’t Rome promise citizenship for foreigners who served in their military. Worked out well for them, didn’t it?(/s)
Obama effectively killed the program when he tried to include illegals. The people the AP says were “discharged” never completed basic training. And more.
I served with a number of nationals and they all served admirably. The Filipino corpsman come to mind. They most definitely EARNED their citizenship.
An old timer who was in prior to WWII said the Corps had entire platoons of Polish speaking machine gunners and they all did a great job.
My ex-wife earned her citizenship while in the Corps.
If they are well vetted and do the job, I don’t have a problem.
What made them think that enlisting was a path to citizenship, or allowed them to enlist in the first place?
But under wee barry, NOTHING legal nor right ever mattered.
As long as they’re purging migrants, execute that jerk, Nidal Hasan, for the 2009 Fort Hood terrorist attack. He needs to kick the oxygen habit.
My grandfather was a ww1 vet who got his citizenship. I can think of no one who was more conservative than he. He lived what he said by never joining social security as he called it a socialist program.
I don’t think we need to do this.
Ever hear of the French Foreign Legion.
Famous for their heroic acts of bravery and fighting in some of the worst hell holes in the world.
I have no problem with having foreigners in the military. Just be smart about it.
The 5,000 in one year seems high, and like possibly Obama’s attempt to give so many immigrants the chance in his last year, left the bankground checks sloppy or just not really complete.
How did he not join that? Was joining optional in his time?
I had a Canadian in my Company that was absolutely the finest soldier in the unit! He gained citizenship through his great ability.
Yeah...lots of those. Lost probably 1/3 of our company during the first 2-3 weeks of basic. Started with 90, graduated with fiftysomething.
One dude told us all on the bus there the first day. If anyone tried to wake him up early he’d punch them in the face.
He left the first day, after punching our CC in the face when the CC tried to get him out of the rack.
Why’d he even join?
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