Immigrants and the US Military

Immigrants Should be Allowed in the US Military and Granted Citizenship

One of the major issues that have faced the U.S. Department of Defense is on permitting illegal immigrants to serve in the U.S. military. This issue has become relatively controversial in the recent past because of immigration issues and the need to enhance homeland security. In this regard, there are questions on whether illegal immigrants should be allowed to serve in the US military. Additionally, there are concerns on whether legal immigrants should be granted US citizenship after being permitted to serve in the US military. Currently, the United States only permits legal immigrants to serve in the military. This paper seeks to examine the issue on whether illegal immigrants should be permitted to serve in the military and whether legal immigrants should be granted citizenship. The main idea presented in this paper is that immigrants should be permitted to serve in the US military and be granted citizenship.
Main Idea
As previously indicated, the main idea of this research is to support the view that immigrants should be permitted to serve in the US military and be granted citizenship. Currently, only legal immigrants are allowed to serve in the military. If you do not have a Green Card or Alien Registration Card, then you cannot join the military. However, if those illegal immigrants are willing to fight and die for the country they live in, then why should they not be allowed to serve as well as gain their citizenship in the process? Moreover, legal immigrants who are permitted to join the US armed forces should be awarded US citizenship because they are defending a country that they want to be part of. In this case, there are no valid reasons why illegal immigrants should not be permitted to serve in the US military or why legal immigrants should not be granted citizenship. As long as an individual is willing to fight and die for the country, he/she should be allowed to serve in the military and be granted citizenship despite of whether he/she is a legal or illegal immigrant. Watson (2007) contends that, “expedited acquisition of citizenship is connected to a willingness to engage in national military service for the United States” (p.35).
Literature Review
The issue of permitting immigrants to serve in the US military and granting them citizenship has been the subject of numerous studies and publications. This issue has obtained considerable attention in the recent past because of the proliferation of immigration issues. Immigration issues have generated security concerns, which in turn impact the status of immigrants in the United States. As a result, there have been numerous analyses on whether immigrants should be permitted to serve in the US military and be granted citizenship. Existing literature and evidence demonstrates that immigrants should be allowed to join US armed forces and be granted citizenship in the process.
Increase in the Number of Foreign-born Individuals Serving in the U.S. Armed Forces
Batalova (2008) conducted an analysis on immigrants in the country’s armed forces with a view of demonstrating why they should be allowed to serve in the military and be granted citizenship in the process. In this publication, she provided data from the U.S. Department of Defense on the immigrants who are actively serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. As of February 2008, there were 65,000 non-U.S. citizens and naturalized citizens (immigrants) actively involved in serving the U.S. Armed Forces (Batalova, 2008). The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has naturalized over 37,250 immigrant members of the U.S. Armed Forces since September 2001. 111 out of the more than 37,250 naturalized citizens were granted posthumous citizenship by USCIS. According to 2008 statistics, more than two-thirds of foreign born individuals i.e. 68.7% serving in the U.S. Armed Forces are naturalized citizens (Batalova, 2008). This was a reflection of the increase in the numbers of naturalized citizens serving in the U.S. Armed Forces since May 2006.
The United States Government, Department of Homeland Security (n.d.) reports that 2002 to 2015, the number of naturalized service members in the US armed forces/military has increased from 2,434 to 7,534. Even though there has been a slight decline in the number of naturalized service members since 2012, the figures have increased steadily over the past 15 years. In this regard, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services has naturalized 109,321 members of the US armed forces since October 1, 2001. 11,069 out of the 109,321 naturalized members have been granted citizenship in the process through USCIS naturalization ceremonies that were conducted in 34 foreign countries (United States Government, Department of Homeland Security, n.d.).
The increase in the number of naturalized citizens and non-citizens serving in the U.S. military is also documented by McIntosh, Sayala & Gregory (2011). Through a review of the number of non-citizens enlisted in the U.S military, McIntosh, Sayala & Gregory (2011) state that approximately “70,000 non-prior-service (NPS) non-citizens accessed into the active-duty enlisted military” from financial year 1999-2008 (p.5). These authors argue that the increase in the number of non-citizens permitted to serve in the U.S. military is attributable to three major factors. First, the number of non-citizens in the United States eligible to join military service is large i.e. roughly 1.2 million non-citizens (McIntosh, Sayala & Gregory, 2011).
Secondly, statistics indicate that there is a significant portion of eligible U.S. non-citizen population from diverse backgrounds with desired language and cultural skills. This diversity is suitable for the strategic interests of the U.S. military, which in turn contributes to increase in the number of non-citizens enlisted in the U.S. armed forces. Third, non-citizens permitted to serve in the military have been found to be less likely to attrite in the first team as compared to citizen recruits to the U.S. military. This occurs even after control for demographic characteristics and service-related factors that usually affect attrition.
Existing Regulation Support Military Naturalization in the US
According to the United States Government, Department of Homeland Security (n.d.), the number of naturalized citizens serving in the U.S. Armed Forces has increased due to the special provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). These provisions require USCIS to speed up the application and naturalization procedure for existing members of the U.S. armed forces and veterans (United States Government, Department of Homeland Security, n.d.). McIntosh, Sayala & Gregory (2011) support the view that regulatory and policy changes have influenced the increase in the numbers of non-citizens and naturalized individuals serving in the U.S. military. They contend that recent policy changes have contributed to the increase through streamlining naturalization processes for many non-citizen members in the U.S. armed forces. Through these policy changes, citizenship attainment for non-citizen service members has increased and time-to-citizenship decreased in the past few years.
Plascencia (2015) states that a modern U.S. federal (8 U.S.C. §1440) was enacted in 2015 to permit U.S. non-citizens serving in the military to be granted citizenship. The statute expanded the citizenship offer to migrants who did not comply with the terms and conditions of their visas or those who entered the United States illegally. The author supports the idea of allowing immigrants to serve in the U.S. military and granting them citizenship through tracing back the history of amnesty for immigrants since the Civil War to date. Based on this article, Plascencia (2015) suggests the federal statute provides a framework for immigrants to be allowed to serve in the U.S. military and be granted citizenship due to their willingness to fight and die for the country. In this regard, migrants’ compliance issues with visa requirements and conditions are relatively ignored in favor of their willingness to fight and die for the country, which becomes the basis for their entry into the U.S. military and obtaining citizenship.
Sohoni & Vafa (2010) contend that military naturalization is supported by existing regulations and policies, which provide the basis for permitting immigrants to serve in the U.S. armed forces. These researchers argue that the U.S. Congress enacted regulations in 1862 that permit foreigners to serve in the U.S. armed forces through the right to expedited naturalization. The legislation is based on the powerful symbolic message that people who are willing to fight and/or die for the country are worthy of its citizenship. Since then, policy changes have been made from time to time to promote military naturalization. Even though the 1862 legislation limited military naturalization to whites and blacks, recent policy changes have expanded these regulations to include other foreigners. For instance, provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act have contributed to military naturalization of service members in various countries including China and other Asian countries (United States Government, Department of Homeland Security, n.d.).
Increased Desire by Non-Citizens to Serve in the U.S. Military
Based on an interview of a Marine, Arturo Flores, there has been a significant increase in the desire by non-citizens or foreign born individuals to serve in the U.S. military (A. Flores, personal communication, September 2017). Flores is an immigrant who is currently in the United States Marine Corps and has been granted citizenship in the process. He is an example of noncitizen service members who went from being immigrants to serving in the U.S. military and eventually receiving citizenship. Flores’ progression from an immigrant to a citizen of the United States was fueled by his desire to serve in the United States armed forces. He is an example of several foreign-born individuals who migrate to the United States with a desire to serve in the country’s armed forces and willingness to fight and die for the country. As he demonstrated in the interview, Flores’ argues that being permitted to serve in the military has enabled him to fulfill his lifelong desire. Additionally, he argues that people like him should be granted citizenship because it’s like a reward for their desire and efforts to defend the United States despite being born elsewhere.
Seigenthaler & Mullen (2006) also support the view of an increased desire by foreign-born nationals to serve in the U.S. military and be granted citizenship in the process. Through a video production, Seigenthaler & Mullen (2006) conduct interviews of different people and their perspective into recruitment of high school immigrants by the U.S. military. They demonstrate how a student is eager to join the military not only because he feels it is his duty but because of the reward of being granted citizenship. Despite including other people with different opinions on this issue, the high school student interviewed by the reporter in this video is a representation of Arturo Flores in terms of his desire to join the U.S. armed forces (A. Flores, personal communication, September 2017). The high school immigrant is excited about the prospect of joining the U.S. military and receiving citizenship as a reward just like Flores who eventually received his citizenship through serving in the United States Marine Corps.
Sohoni & Vafa (2010) state that the desire for immigrants to serve in the U.S. military provides a basis for citizenship through meeting normative qualities that are necessary for citizenship. They contend that individual immigrants demonstrate attachment to the wellbeing and safety of the United States through a desire to serve in the nation’s military. Through this process, immigrants express their loyalty and allegiance, which are crucial factors for developing and maintaining national unity. As a result, the individuals qualify to be enlisted in the U.S. military and granted citizenship in the process. An example of this loyalty is Arturo Flores who demonstrated loyalty and allegiance to the U.S. by his desire to serve in the military while still an immigrant (A. Flores, personal communication, September 2017).
Meeting Staffing Demands of the U.S. Armed Forces
A critical concept in permitting immigrants to serve in the military and eventually obtain citizenship is the need to meet staffing demands of the U.S. armed forces. Wong (2007) contends that immigrant soldiers have made a significant contribution towards meeting the staffing demands of the U.S. armed forces since late 1990s. Throughout the years, the U.S. military has been faced with increased staffing demands as security concerns continue to arise, particularly terrorism. These security concerns have generated additional staffing demands in terms of the need for more soldiers and the need to recruit soldiers with diverse language and cultural skills. Immigrants should be permitted to serve in the U.S. military and be granted citizenship since the help meet the staffing demands of the armed forces. In the late 1990s, recruitment of immigrants to the U.S. armed forces helped in achievement of recruitment goals though there was a shortage by tens of thousands (Wong, 2007). McIntosh, Sayala & Gregory (2011) suggest that immigrants help to meet the U.S. armed forces’ staffing demands through providing diversity in terms of language and cultural skills. Given their diverse backgrounds, immigrants provide a suitable pool of labor force for the armed forces that is faced with the need for soldiers with different language and cultural social skills. Immigrants help meeting staffing demands by the U.S. armed forces through showing more interest to become service members as compared to native-born Americans. As a result, they are more likely to enlist in the U.S. military in comparison to their native-born peers.
Lutz (2008) demonstrates how illegal immigrants help meet the staffing demands of the U.S. armed forces through providing a historical overview of recruitment of non-citizens to the U.S. military. Military recruitment of immigrants can be traced back to World War II and World War II when U.S. armed forces enlisted participation of foreign-born nationals in their troops (Lutz, 2008). This came at a time when policies on the participation of immigrants in the U.S. military were ambivalent. Since then, the recruitment of immigrants to help meet the staffing demands of the U.S. armed forces has increased. As of 2008, approximately 5% of the U.S. armed forces comprised of immigrants while two-thirds of this population are naturalized citizens (Batalova, 2008; Lutz, 2008).
Given the increased staffing demands needs by the U.S. armed forces, the country has established policies that promote and support military naturalization in foreign countries. According to Stock (2006), the enactment of the National Defense Authorization Act in November 2003 has provided a framework for the recruitment and naturalization of non-citizens into the U.S. military in foreign countries. Batalova (2008) concurs with Stock (2006) by stating that the legislation permits military naturalizations to be carried outside of the United States. This enabled military personnel serving in Afghanistan and Iraq to become U.S. citizens while serving in foreign territories. The enactment of the legislation to permit military naturalizations outside the United States was fueled by the increased staffing demands by the U.S. forces in light of the modern homeland and global security challenges/concerns.
Sohoni & Vafa (2010) argue that the United States has had a long history of formal and informal service by non-citizens in its military/armed forces. This long history has existed despite the fact that military service in the country was initially supposed to be restricted to individuals who were already citizens. The involvement of foreign-born nationals in the U.S. military is evident in various battles in the nation’s history including the Revolutionary War where Irish and German nationals accounted for a significant percentage of General Washington’s forces (Sohoni & Vafa, 2010). Secondly, the country permitted resident foreigners from Europe to serve in the U.S. Army during Mexican-American War and the War of 1812. The other historical example of the recruitment of aliens to the U.S. military is during the Civil War, when the Union Army actively recruited resident foreigners to serve. These incidents are examples of how immigrants have always helped to meet the staffing demands by the United States armed forces. In light of the pressing military needs, the U.S. armed forces have always enlisted immigrants as service members based on the belief that they help meet the staffing demands. Additionally, the willingness by foreigners/immigrants to serve in the U.S. military is usually voluntary and is considered as one of the necessary qualities for national membership through which immigrant service members are granted U.S. citizenship like Flores.
In concurrence with this view, Watson (2007) stated that the aftermath of 9/11 terror attacks demonstrated the need for a shorter path to citizenship for immigrants who are willing to fight and die for the safety and wellbeing of the United States. During the Iraq War, which was a sustained military engagement by the United States, military recruitment in the country was significantly affected. The impact was attributable to the drawn-out nature of the war and the need for repeated deployments of Army and Marine personnel. As a result, the country faced a need to enhance its recruitment of more soldiers because of the ensuing military staffing demands. This provided an opportunity for expediting the citizenship/naturalization process for immigrants serving in the U.S. military to help address the impact of the Iraq War on military recruitment (Watson, 2007).
Segal, Segal & Reed (2015) state that the need for diversity in the U.S. military has created additional staffing needs/demands, which have in turn contributed to the need to permit immigrants to serve in the U.S. military and be granted citizenship in the process. Throughout the years, the U.S. military has attempted to reproduce itself in the present and future based on the existing demands for services. While initial regulations limited the involvement of certain segments of the population like immigrants, demands for wider representation and more language and cultural skills have generated additional military staffing demands. Consequently, the U.S. forces have been forced to expand their recruitment bases and treat nearly every segment of the population equally with regards to eligibility to be enlisted in U.S. military (Segal, Segal & Reed, 2015). The expansion of recruitment bases for wider representation has included policy changes towards permitting the enlisting of immigrants for military service. Watson (2007) contends that the basis for enlisting immigrants to the U.S. military and granting them citizenship is willingness to participate in U.S. national military service.
Analysis/Argument
The case for permitting immigrants to serve in the U.S. military and be granted citizenship in the process is well-documented and established in existing literature on the issue of immigration and military service. The literature review provides significant evidence on why immigrants should be permitted to serve in the U.S. military and be granted citizenship regardless of their immigration status. Based on the review of relevant literature and evidence, legal and illegal immigrants should be permitted to serve in the United States military and be granted citizenship on several grounds.
Willingness to Defend the United States
One of the grounds for allowing legal and illegal immigrants to serve in the U.S. military and be granted citizenship in the process is the willingness to fight and die for the safety and wellbeing of the United States. The United States is founded on national values like allegiance and loyalty, which are crucial components of nationhood and patriotism (Sohoni & Vafa, 2010). Loyalty and allegiance is the premise with which American citizens demonstrate their patriotism and sense of attachment to the nation. Without loyalty and allegiance, American citizens and residents lack the spirit of nationhood, which is one of the building blocks towards the prosperity and growth of the United States as the world’s super power.
Through demonstrating a desire to fight and defend the United States, immigrants demonstrate some of the national values with which the United States is founded upon. Regardless of their immigration status, immigrants with a desire to join U.S. military and become citizens demonstrate a sense of attachment to the nation in a similar manner to their native-born peers. This implies that they should be treated equally in terms of eligibility for military service just like native-born citizens are treated (Segal, Segal & Reed, 2015). Therefore, the willingness to defend the United States and become a citizen act as the qualification through which immigrants/non-citizens should be enlisted in the U.S. military and granted citizenship.
As shown in the case of the interviewed Marine, Arturo Flores, willingness to defend the United States propels immigrants to join the U.S. military and work in the best interests of the country. Arturo Flores demonstrated his love towards the United States while still an immigrant and has consistently shown his love for the country throughout his years of service in the United States Marine Corps (A. Flores, personal communication, September 2017). Given his expression of love for the United States, Flores provided compelling reasons to be enlisted for military service and granted citizenship.
In this regard, one of the considerations to be made when determining whether to permit immigrants to serve in the U.S. military and be granted citizenship is demonstration of love towards the country. This consideration should be made regardless of whether the immigrant entered the country legally or illegally. In essence, if illegal immigrants are willing to fight and die for the country they live in, then why should they not be allowed to serve as well as gain their citizenship in the process? After being enlisted in the U.S. military and serving the country faithfully, immigrants should be granted citizenship as a reward for their love and service to the country just like in the case of Arturo Flores.
Supportive Regulatory Framework
The second factor that acts as a compelling reason for immigrants to be permitted to serve in the U.S. military and be granted citizenship in the process is the existence of a supportive regulatory framework. As shown in the analysis, various regulatory and policy changes have been made to provide a legitimate framework for naturalization of non-citizen service members. These regulatory and policy changes have come at a time when the country is experiencing increased desire by immigrants to join the U.S. armed forces and eventually become U.S. citizens.
Military naturalization statistics in the recent past indicate that permitting immigrants to serve in the military and receive citizenship is the way to go. As shown by Batalova (2008) there has been a significant increase in the number of foreign-born individuals permitted to serve in the United States military. This tremendous increase is influenced by various factors including the sound regulatory framework. While the current regulatory framework focuses mostly on legal immigrants, illegal immigrants should also be considered for eligibility for military service and citizenship in the process. However, the basis for eligibility considerations of illegal immigrants for military service should be based on their willingness to defend the United States and their sense of attachment to the country. If those illegal immigrants demonstrate the national values of allegiance and loyalty, they should be treated equally with their legal counterparts and peers in terms of recruitment into the United States military.
Throughout the years, the United States has changed its policies relating to immigration and military service with a view of enhancing the efficiency of its soldiers through enhanced recruitment strategies. These changes have made it possible for immigrants to currently serve in the U.S. military and be granted citizenship through military naturalization. Moreover, the existing regulatory framework has also provided the basis through naturalization occurs outside of the United States. Therefore, immigrants should be permitted to serve in the United States military and eventually obtain citizenship regardless of their immigration status (Stock, 2006; Batalova, 2008).
Enhanced Efficiency of the U.S. Military
The third compelling reason for immigrants to be allowed to serve in the U.S. military and be granted citizenship in the process is to promote enhanced efficiency of the U.S. military in two major ways. First, enlisting immigrants for military service helps to meet the ever-increasing staffing demands of the U.S. armed forces vis-à-vis the contemporary security concerns and challenges. Existing literature demonstrates that the United States has historically permitted foreigners or immigrants to participate in the military based on the existing circumstances. Wong (2007) stated, “Immigrant soldiers made a difference in meeting staffing demands by the armed forces in the late 1990s” (p.172). Additionally, the United States enlisted foreign-born individuals for military service during the War of 1842, the Mexican-American War, the Revolutionary War, and the Civil War. These examples demonstrate incidents where immigrants have helped meet military staffing needs in the United States as part of efforts to enhance the efficiency of the U.S. military depending on the existing needs for soldiers.
Secondly, allowing immigrants to serve in the U.S. military helps in enhancing the efficiency of the nation’s soldiers through providing diverse language and cultural skills that are required in today’s operational environment. According to McIntosh, Sayala & Gregory (2011),
“data suggest that a sizable share of the recruitable U.S. non-citizen population comes from diverse backgrounds and possesses language and cultural skills that are of strategic interest to the U.S. military” (p.1).
Given the diverse backgrounds of immigrants, they offer invaluable language and cultural skills that would help enhance the efficiency of the U.S. military in addressing the modern security challenges and concerns. These diverse language and cultural skills are required in today’s operational environment, which is characterized by increased diversity because of globalization and rapid technological advancements. Therefore, the need for diverse language and cultural skills in the U.S. military provides a compelling reason for allowing immigrants to be enlisted for military service. Immigrants bring their diverse language and cultural skills to the military, which enhances the efficiency of U.S. soldiers/troops.
In conclusion, the issue of whether immigrants, particularly illegal immigrants, should be permitted to serve in the U.S. military and granted citizenship has been relatively controversial and attracted considerable concern. Existing literature provides various issues relating to immigration and military service in the United States. An evaluation of existing literature demonstrates that immigrants should be permitted to serve in the military and obtain citizenship on various grounds including their willingness to fight and die for the country. Watson (2007) states, “acquisition of citizenship is connected to a willingness to engage in national military service for the United States” (p.35). The other compelling reasons for allowing immigrants to serve in the military and obtain citizenship include the existence of a supportive regulatory framework and their contribution to enhanced efficiency of the U.S. military.
References
Batalova, J. (2008). Immigrants in the U.S. Armed Forces. Migration Policy Institute. Retrieved from https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/immigrants-us-armed-forces
Lutz, A. (2008). Who Joins the Military?: A Look at Race, Class, and Immigration Status. Journal of Political and Military Sociology, 36(2), 167-188.
McIntosh, M.F., Sayala, S. & Gregory, D. (2011, November). Non-citizens in the enlisted US military. CNA.
Plascencia, L. (2015). The military gates to U.S. citizenship: Latina/o "aliens and non-citizen nationals" and military work. Latino Studies, 13(2), 162-184.
Segal, D.R., Segal, M.W. & Reed, B.J. (2015, December 30). Diversity and Citizenship in Modern Military Organization. Turkish Journal of Sociology, 2015, 45-63.
Seigenthaler, J., & Mullen, M. (2006). Immigrants tempted into military service with citizenship offers. New York: NBCUniversal Media, LLC.
Sohoni, D. & Vafa, A. (2010, January). The Fight to be American: Military Naturalization and Asian Citizenship. Asian American Law Journal, 17(1), 119-151.
Stock, M.D. (2006). Essential to the Fight: Immigrants in the Military, Five Years After 9/11. Immigration Policy in Focus, 5(9), 1-7.
United States Government, Department of Homeland Security. (n.d.). Naturalization Through Military Service: Fact Sheet [Press release]. Retrieved September 12, 2017, from
https://www.uscis.gov/news/fact-sheets/naturalization-through-military-service-fact-sheet
Watson, C.A. (2007). U.S. military service: A reference handbook. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO.
Wong, C. (2007). Who Fights – Substitution, Commutation, and “Green Card Troops.” Du Bois Review, 4(1), 167-188.