The Department of Defense is modifying regulations to allow illegal immigrants to enlist in the military, while at the same time removing tens of thousands of active-duty soldiers, Fox News reports.
The change comes in the wake of a massive removal of personnel from active duty, due to mandated budget cuts. For the illegal immigrants that entered the country under 16 years of age, the Obama administration’s 2012 reprieve removes the fear of deportation, and so the Department of Defense (DOD) is seizing on that opportunity to recruit up to 1,500 new illegals a year. Termed the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, the Obama administration’s memorandum has allowed over 500,000 illegal immigrants to stay in the country.
Although the White House initially requested during the summer that the Pentagon not move forward with plans to add illegals to the military, the Pentagon appears to be engaging in unilateral action, given that they have had to remove tens of thousands of regular soldiers from active-duty. Estimates show that the drop is as large as 80,000, from 520,000 down to 440,000.
Additionally, the White House’s summer strategy was to coax House Republicans into support for broad immigration reform, and so did not want the Pentagon to upset the already mixed feelings Republicans have about immigration.
But Republicans spurned legislative reform, and so alongside the Pentagon, the White House has announced its intentions to fully pursue reform through executive actions, instead.
The DOD is funneling its plans through expansion of a program called the Military Accessions Vital to National Interest (MAVNI), which normally allows the military to acquire foreign personnel who have special skills. Service in the military for illegals may provide a path to citizenship in the future based on information obtained from the Army’s recruiting site, which lists expedited citizenship as a benefit, along with educational aid and pay.
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