Note: Found on Army Times Forum Site
The armed forces are recruiting citizens of foreign countries who are in the U.S. temporarily.
Under the yearlong program announced by the Pentagon in December, about 1,000 non-U.S. citizens will be signed up for service as health care workers and language and cultural specialists. In exchange, they get on the fast track to become Americans.
It's a bad idea. Those who serve need to have a vested interest in this country, not just want to stay in this country.
Until now, the military has recruited only U.S. citizens and permanent residents. About 8,000 permanent residents enlist every year and about 29,000 are in the services today. They've even been drafted along with citizens.
The Defense Department's new program is targeting what it calls the "temporary immigrant"; consular and immigration officials use "nonimmigrant," the term found in the law and in official documents.
Nonimmigrants include tourists, businessmen, students, workers in international organizations such as the World Bank, participants in international exchange programs and certain skilled workers. They come to the U.S. wanting to stay only temporarily -- or at least saying they want to stay only temporarily. Consular officials are required to refuse a nonimmigrant visa request if they suspect the applicant wants to use it to get a "green card," or, in other words, become a permanent resident.
The Pentagon shouldn't give an out to someone from a foreign country who either changes his mind about wanting to stay temporarily in the U.S. or who wasn't candid with consular officials in the first place.
It won't be easy to pull back from this program because the services need medical experts, as well as those with language and cultural skills.
In a statement to the Armed Forces Press Service, Bill Carr, deputy undersecretary of defense for military personnel policy, estimated the military is short almost 1,000 of the 24,000 doctors and nurses it needs. He didn't even address the number of linguists and cultural specialists.
"We observed there are tens of thousands of health professionals in the United States on a work visa who would be very interested in achieving green card status or, ultimately, citizenship," Carr told the press service.
There's one problem, though. There are plenty of American citizens and permanent residents who have the knowledge and skills that the services are looking for. And more -- thousands even -- are being trained in those skills on the Pentagon's dime.
No, the Pentagon shouldn't help anyone skate around the system. Everybody knew the rules going in.
Residence and citizenship are not commodities. Participation in our society, even in its sacrifices, should not be for sale.
The armed forces are recruiting citizens of foreign countries who are in the U.S. temporarily.
Under the yearlong program announced by the Pentagon in December, about 1,000 non-U.S. citizens will be signed up for service as health care workers and language and cultural specialists. In exchange, they get on the fast track to become Americans.
It's a bad idea. Those who serve need to have a vested interest in this country, not just want to stay in this country.
Until now, the military has recruited only U.S. citizens and permanent residents. About 8,000 permanent residents enlist every year and about 29,000 are in the services today. They've even been drafted along with citizens.
The Defense Department's new program is targeting what it calls the "temporary immigrant"; consular and immigration officials use "nonimmigrant," the term found in the law and in official documents.
Nonimmigrants include tourists, businessmen, students, workers in international organizations such as the World Bank, participants in international exchange programs and certain skilled workers. They come to the U.S. wanting to stay only temporarily -- or at least saying they want to stay only temporarily. Consular officials are required to refuse a nonimmigrant visa request if they suspect the applicant wants to use it to get a "green card," or, in other words, become a permanent resident.
The Pentagon shouldn't give an out to someone from a foreign country who either changes his mind about wanting to stay temporarily in the U.S. or who wasn't candid with consular officials in the first place.
It won't be easy to pull back from this program because the services need medical experts, as well as those with language and cultural skills.
In a statement to the Armed Forces Press Service, Bill Carr, deputy undersecretary of defense for military personnel policy, estimated the military is short almost 1,000 of the 24,000 doctors and nurses it needs. He didn't even address the number of linguists and cultural specialists.
"We observed there are tens of thousands of health professionals in the United States on a work visa who would be very interested in achieving green card status or, ultimately, citizenship," Carr told the press service.
There's one problem, though. There are plenty of American citizens and permanent residents who have the knowledge and skills that the services are looking for. And more -- thousands even -- are being trained in those skills on the Pentagon's dime.
No, the Pentagon shouldn't help anyone skate around the system. Everybody knew the rules going in.
Residence and citizenship are not commodities. Participation in our society, even in its sacrifices, should not be for sale.
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