US army 'wants more immigrants'

[Divine Discontent]

Source: BBC

BBC
US army 'wants more immigrants'

The United States army is to accept immigrants with temporary US visas, for the first time since the Vietnam war, according to the New York Times.

Until now immigrants have had to have permanent residency - a "green card" - in order to qualify for the services.

But those with temporary visas will be offered accelerated citizenship if they enrol, the Times says.

Many temporary immigrants will have been granted visas on the basis of their education or skills, so the defence department expects the new recruits to be more qualified than applicants who are US citizens - and in particular to have languages useful in combat zones like Afghanistan and Iraq.

Opposition from veterans

However, the Times said there appeared to be some opposition from officers and veterans, who expressed concern that some foreigners might have divided loyalties or be terrorists seeking to infiltrate the US armed services.

<heavily snipped - see link for full story>


Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7891222.stm

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This is really scary. ANY immigrant with a temporary permit to be in the US who enrolls in the military will be accepted, and given a fast track to citizenship?

Good Grief.


Obama Inaugural "A Witness To History" items - www.cafepress.com/warisprofitable

[Turbineguy]

1. Maybe it's getting so bad

out there that repub yellow elephants are starting to enlist.

[Divine Discontent]

2. hopefully....

back 5 or 6 years ago I remember an immigrant in the army blew up an area in the green zone and killed several, and to think they'd take even people now with TEMPORARY VISAS is mind-boggling, and seems like they want turmoil to occur from it so things look bad, as it would obviously come to pass that some really bad guys will join up to hurt the US - and I didn't even get to the part about the generals being concerned when I and my friend said that concern.

[BlooInBloo]

3. Fuck those "divided loyalties" fuckers. If they're willing to die for our country...

Then let them be fucking citizens. Sheesh.

[sharp_stick]

4. yeah but that doesn't fly

or make the case of the modern nativist movement. We can't get enough citizens willing to join up, mostly because shrubbo and rummy fucked the military beyond repair. If the only people we can get are immigrants and they are willing to do the job, give them a citizenship.

[Divine Discontent]

5. McCain's going to come out tomorrow and say "Americans aren't qualified to be in the army"

The current recruiting dept. says Americans are not as smart and gifted as these immigrants - sounds an awful lot like the job bullshit where the employers are saying we're not qualified for the jobs they're giving to foreign workers. Sounds like another reason to give an American job away - we can't even keep the jobs in the military! HA! What a load... I'm sure most of those people are good guys and girls, but as the generals know, the ones who blow up grenades or are snipping secret info are these types of immigrants, and not US born citizens.

[progdonkey]

10. what about McVeigh?

"the ones who blow up grenades or are snipping secret info are these types of immigrants, and not US born citizens."

Though, I guess he just blew up a building and killed 168 people. :eyes:

And there are far more McVeigh-wannabes in the military right now than Osama bin Ladens.

[pasto76]

6. word

I had divided loyalties when I served overseas. My loyalty to my duty and soldiers preceded my loyalty to the President. My loyalty to the Constitution preceded just about everythign else.

Clearly, Republicans are too busy and scared to serve. I know a friedn who cites from Military.com that 80% of the military identifies itself Republican. I challenge him that 80% of that 80% dont really know what it is to be a republican, except "librals are pussies". 80% of my platoon fit that mold.

In any event, recruiting and RETENTION OF THOSE 80% Republicans has been abyssmla for the p;ast 5 years.

SGT PASTO

[Divine Discontent]

9. "80% of that 80%" - great point! they don't! Liberal military personnel believe in honor & dignity

[Posteritatis]

19. Yep

I care not in the least how they got in: if they're going to do a full term in uniform they should get their citizenship in the very same hour they get discharged.

[Xipe Totec]

7. 4,000 US Troops Dead - Over 100 Granted Citizenship Posthumously

A young, ambitious immigrant from Guatemala who dreamed of becoming an architect. A Nigerian medic. A soldier from China who boasted he would one day become an American general. An Indian native whose headstone displays the first Khanda, emblem of the Sikh faith, to appear in Arlington National Cemetery.

These were among more than 100 foreign-born members of the U.S. military who earned American citizenship by dying in Iraq.

Jose Gutierrez was one of the first to fall, killed by friendly fire in the dust of Umm Qasr in the opening hours of the invasion.

In death, the young Marine was showered with honors his family could only have dreamed of in life. His sister was flown in from Guatemala for his memorial service, where a Roman Catholic cardinal presided and top military officials saluted his flag-draped coffin.

And yet, his foster mother agonized as she accompanied his body back for burial in Guatemala City: Why did Jose have to die for America in order to truly belong?

http://shirazsocialist.wordpress.com/2008/03/24/4000-us-troops-dead-over-100-granted-citizenship-posthumously

[aquart]

8. Taliban? al qaida?

Take 'em in and teach 'em how to operate our equipment. Clever.

[OhioChick]

16. My thoughts exactly. n/t

[MiddleRiverRefugee]

11. Wonder if this policy could be related to H1-B's somehow?

[salguine]

12. Because immigrants take the bullets, burns and shrapnel Americans don't want.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

14. Bingo

They can become citizens if they survive the most dangerous assignments. Nothing like the American way.

[Nihil]

20. "Starship Troopers" anybody?

Heinlein had this mentality nailed.

[lumberjack_jeff]

21. Or Rome. n/t

[Systematic Chaos]

13. What strikes me about this is...

... it's happening at the same exact time we're seeing stories here on the DU about Mexico going completely to hell in a handbasket. "Illegals" are running out of places to find work right now, but I suspect before long we may find the influx speeding up once word gets out that Mexicans could come over here and get jobs as soldiers.

That's my train of thought, anyway. What do the rest of you think? :shrug:

[Blue_Tires]

15. i wonder who the minutemen will protest on this one...

[Earth_First]

17. The minute-who?

They all disappeared about 5 minutes after they began. Seems it's hot in the desert Southwest, and the beer and air conditioning in the saloon is much cooler.

[amandabeech]

18. Mercenary is not the way to go.

It allows wars that the public doesn't want to go on longer and deplete the treasury faster to the delight of arms manufacturers.

Either draft or get out.