Dems Want to Protect 1,800 Illegals Serving in Military
Dems Want to Protect 1,800 Illegals Serving in Military
By Cathy Burke | Tuesday, 12 Sep 2017 06:48 PM
Senate Democrats are proposing a plan to protect up to 1,800 young illegal immigrants serving in the military who have lost their legal status and could face deportation because of screening backlogs.
The measure backed by Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., would ensure those recruited through the Military Accessions Vital to National Interest initiative would be allowed to remain until background checks and screenings are completed.
There are between 1,000 and 1,800 immigrants participating in the military program who have lost legal status because of backlogs in the screening process, Durbin said in a statement.
"When the military can't find American citizens with the skills it needs to help defend our country, they turn to the MAVNI program," Durbin said in a statement.
"Right now, there are patriots prepared to lay down their lives for ours who are losing their immigration status while waiting for their background checks to clear. With all the threats facing the United States today, we simply cannot afford to lose these brave men and women because of a technicality."
In the joint statement, Harris said those who have served in the military "deserve respect, not deportation."
According to Politico, some young illegals who are shielded from deportation by the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals have enlisted through the military program, which creates a shortcut to permanent legal status for those with specialized skills.
More than 800 people who hold DACA permits have joined the military under the specialized program, Politico reported.
The measure is being introduced as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act now on the floor of the Senate, but Politico reported Senate Democrats will not push too hard to attach it to the defense policy measure.
Rather, they want to raise the subject during the debate about the future of DACA, which will be ended in six months unless Congress comes up with legislative fix, Politico reported.
Dems Want to Protect 1800 Illegal Immigrants Serving in Military
