Army reinstates at least 36 discharged immigrants
The Army Times reports at least three dozen immigrant recruits who were booted from the U.S. Army after enlisting with a promised pathway to citizenship are being brought back to serve, according to court records filed Monday.
Since Aug. 17, the U.S. Army has reinstated 32 reservists, and revoked discharge orders of another six enlistees who had sued. Another 149 discharges have been suspended and are under review, said Army Assistant Deputy for Recruiting and Retention Linden St. Clair, in the filing.
The reinstatements follow an Associated Press story in early July that revealed dozens of immigrant enlistees were being discharged or had their contracts cancelled. Some said they were given no reason for their discharge. Others 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.
They had enlisted under the Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest program, known as (MAVNI), to increase the number of soldiers with critical language or medical skills.
The reinstatements come weeks after the Army reversed course, suspending the discharges at least temporarily.
Immigrants willing to serve in any branch of the military deserve a shot at US citizenship. Most of these were refused because of over-due background checks- no fault of theirs. Glad to see they’re getting a second chance.
Category: Administrative
I feel that LEGAL immigrants do deserve a chance at citizenship through service. I do not feel that dreamers or illegal immigrants of any nation should serve. Just sayin’
Ditto that, we had about a dozen members of my Brigade take their Oaths of Citizenship while we were over in A-stan and I proudly think of them as Fellow American Citizens. Not only did they come legally, they volunteered, put the Uniform on and risked life and limb alongside the rest of us.
Yeah, I’m with that. I don’t even have a problem with illegals going this route if–and only if–they were not responsible for entering the country illegally but were brought here illegally as babies.
^this^and^this^ LEGAL and LEGALLY. They’re “dreaming” if they think breaking our laws is a pathway to service/citizenship. They volunteered, swore to defend the Constitution risked life & limb, were probably very good troops and will make excellent citizens.
I have no issues with this, but those “background” issues could have been done more quickly. With the pool of people to do that job, what was the delay?
I am glad this is being addressed and these people reinstated.
OPM is notoriously slow conducting background investigations. I should have one every five years, but was gaped to seven years because of the backlog. I’m sure these immigrants were a very low priority for them.
Yeah, in the earlier nineties my AIT class had graduates who were held at Ft. Lee waiting for security clearances and the class before us too.
It took years of campaigning to get our beloved Ghurkhas the right to become UK citizens and residence here with full pension rights. “The Bravest of the Brave” had extraordinarily shabby treatment before that.
We did a couple of missions with a Gurkha Unit while in A-stan, they are some VERY Badass Hombres!
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