As the Pentagon announced, undocumented young people who were granted a deferral of deportation by the Obama administration will be able to enlist in the army under an immigrant recruitment program. The program imposes special requirements on language and medical skills, according to a memorandum drafted by Deputy Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Jessica L. Wright.
A 'huge line' has already formed of those wishing to take advantage of the program, the publication writes, but an administration official emphasized that the number of those who will be able to use the program will likely be small. Strict requirements are in place, and the program is currently limited to fifteen hundred recruits each year.
Lawyers for undocumented young people who call themselves 'Dreamers' are pressuring the administration to include everyone who has been granted a deferral of deportation. The Dreamers said they are both encouraged and deeply disappointed by the Pentagon's decision. 'This is a first step, and we are grateful to the administration for being willing to recognize our skills and talents, which many of us truly have,' said Cesar Vargas, leader of the Dream Action coalition, who stated that he would also like to join the armed forces. 'But this practice definitely needs to be expanded.'
Senator Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, the second-ranking Democrat in the Senate, who urged President Obama to expand recruitment of young people with deferred deportation, called the decision a 'missed opportunity.'
Last spring, Pentagon officials considered opening recruitment for undocumented young people under a two-year program with deferred deportation, known as 'Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.' The deferral does not grant resident status, but it allows young people to remain in the country legally. More than 580,000 young people participated in the program. Then the program was suspended.
Pentagon officials said they changed the recruitment rules because the immigrant program, known as MAVNI – (Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest), was recently extended for another two years.
This program was created for temporary immigrants who speak one of three dozen languages, including Arabic, Hindi, Korean, Nepali, Russian, Uzbek, and Swahili, but not Spanish – the language of the majority of undocumented young people in America. The program also covered licensed physicians, including dentists. To be accepted into the program, immigrants must pass strict security checks, but afterward, within a few months, they can apply for citizenship.
In general, immigrants must permanently reside in the United States legally or have citizenship to be accepted into military service.
Kiriana Skryleva.
«Expert Online»