Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) believes there’s an easy solution to the military’s poor recruitment figures—sign up the massive number of illegal border crossers and give them citizenship in return.
“What troubles me about the debate now about the southern border is that it is one-half of the immigration equation,” he said, acknowledging that order needs to be restored at the border. “There’s also an incredible demand for legal immigration into this country, even now.
“The presiding officer, my colleague from the state of Illinois, has legislation which addresses one aspect of that,” the Democrat continued. “Her bill — and I hope I describe it accurately — says that if you are an undocumented person in this country and you can pass the physical and the required test, background test, the like, that you can serve in our military, and if you do it honorably, we will make you citizens of the United States. Do we need that? Do you know what the recruiting numbers are at in the Army and the Navy and the Air Force? They can’t reach their quotas each month. They can’t find enough people to join our military forces. And there are those who are undocumented who want the chance to serve and risk their lives for that country. Should we give them a chance? I think we should.”
Read Sen. Dick Durban’s Press Release
Senate bill renews effort to enlist non-citizens in the military
WASHINGTON — July 20, 2023 — Efforts to widen a pathway for non-citizens to join the U.S. military are being reignited with a new Senate bill aimed at easing recruitment troubles in the armed forces.
Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., is leading a renewed push to allow the Defense Department to enlist people who have lived in the U.S. for at least five years, including those who entered the country unlawfully as children and are now protected by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program.
Residents who have temporary protected status and individuals who have an approved petition for an immigrant visa would also be eligible to serve in the military under the legislation as long as they meet the qualifications of the service branch.
“Allowing highly qualified, long-time residents of our great nation the opportunity to serve the country they’ve come to love is a commonsense way to give the services better access to talented potential recruits and improve our military’s readiness in the process,” said Duckworth, a former Army Black Hawk pilot and Iraq War veteran.
Non-citizens who want to join the military must have a permanent resident card, also known as a green card, and be able to speak, read and write fluently in English.
In 2008, the Defense Department began an initiative to expand recruitment to certain non-citizens with medical, foreign language and other in-demand skills but the controversial program, called the Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest, was suspended in 2017.
In the years since, nearly all the service branches have seen the gap between their recruitment goals and enlistment numbers widen. Only about 24% to 27% of young people ages 18 to 24 meet the requirements to serve and even fewer have the desire to enlist.
“Our military services are facing unprecedented challenges meeting their recruitment goals — in part due to a historically small pool of eligible recruits,” Duckworth said.
She said the bill, named the Enlist Act, would expand the pool of candidates and help the military fill its dwindling ranks. It would also give individuals who enlist under the proposed legislation an opportunity to become naturalized citizens, as non-citizen service members are now able to do through an existing process.
By Svetlana Shkolnikova
