[September 30, 2014] New policies at the U.S. Department of Defense, initiated by the Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, have caused some controversy in military ranks. The real problem at the Pentagon is how to reduce the combat force by over 20 percent and still protect the United States and allies while worldwide threats are increasing. Now comes word that illegal immigrants will soon be able to join the U.S. military … something new in the history of the force1.
Allowing illegal immigrants to serve in the military is certainly not the most crucial issue for the military as it draws down its force. While this new policy is seen by many as the president’s way of pushing the illegal immigrant issue forward, it rankles many who see illegal immigrants getting priority hiring over citizens and obtaining legal rights they did not earn.
Non-citizens have been allowed to join for some time. Those non-citizens must be in the U.S. legally and have the proper documentation. In fact, this is a common pathway to citizenship for them and provides much needed skills for the military. We are told this new policy only applies to a maximum of 1,500 immigrants and only for those with “specialized” skills.
The problem as seen by many U.S. citizens is that by allowing illegal immigrants to join the U.S. military, the government is sending the message that we can cherry pick laws to obey and disobey. That by doing so also encourages illegal immigration and potential disloyalty to the United States. The biggest backlash over this new policy stems from the thinking that by giving priority to illegal immigrants, we are insulting the average citizen and cheapening the service of current military members.
This action by the U.S. government appears to be the “first phase of a broader government wide effort to ease pressure on immigrants and create new paths to citizenship,” according to the Military Times2. It certainly comes along as the most controversial policy since allowing gays to serve openly in the military; also introduced by President Obama.
Will this new policy be good for the military? Candidly, it will have no effect on the military’s ability to carry out its mission. But of course that is not the point of this new policy. The intended message from the White House is that giving illegal immigrants legal rights – now belonging only to citizens – is important to the president and his political party.
By giving illegal immigrants legal rights the president accomplishes two things. First he will be able to claim the high moral ground; the U.S. is founded upon immigration. Second, and more importantly, these immigrants will vote for his political party which gives him more power. The U.S. military is simply the mechanism for him to accomplish his wishes despite it being contrary to what most Americans want.
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[2] http://www.militarytimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2014309250074