Immigrants in the Military

Houston Chronicle Blog on Immigration

March 18, 2008

Should illegal immigrants serve in U.S. military?

AP Photo/Moises Castillo U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Jose Gutierrez, as seen in photos at the home of his sister in Guatemala City, was one of the first combat casualties of the war in Iraq. He had come to the U.S. illegally from Guatemala as a teenager. .

American citizens sacrifice at times of war. It’s our duty, the debt for living in the U.S.A.

Right now, much of the sacrifice is shouldered by families whose sons and daughters risk their lives in Iraq. It’s a sacrifice we reflect on this week, as the nation marks the fifth anniversary of the start of the Iraq War.

But there are also U.S. soldiers fighting and dying in Iraq who were born in other countries.

More than 20,000 non-citizens are on active duty in the U.S. armed forces. Dozens of U.S. immigrant soldiers have died in Iraq. Immigrants have braved the battlefields of war since the dawn of America. And, they’ve held their own.
Immigrants have earned more than 20 percent of the 3,406 Congressional Medals of Honor, according to the National Immigration Law Center.

The U.S. government re-paid this commitment in 2002, when President Bush signed an executive order allowing immigrant soldiers to apply for citizenship as soon as they enlist. They previously had to wait three years.

Altruistic reasons alone did not motivate the Bush administration. The armed services have suffered from longstanding recruiting problems. Tapping into the growing supply of immigrants — many of whom are poor and minority — is an easy way to meet recruiting quotas. And dangling fast-track to citizenship as a carrot is a sure-fire way for Uncle Sam to attract immigrants.

But here’s a controversial wrinkle to weigh: Should the U.S. allow illegal immigrants to serve in the military? Only citizens and legal permanent residents can enlist now.

This debate simmered in 2003 when we learned that one of the first U.S. soldiers killed in combat in Iraq had been an illegal immigrant. Marine Lance Cpl. Jose Gutierrez died in a firefight March 21, 2003. The Guatemalan was 14 when he left behind his dead parents and trekked 2,000 miles to cross into the U.S. illegally. At the time, the U.S. didn’t deport Guatemalan children who arrived without family. He was allowed to stay and became a legal resident at age 18.

A provision in the immigration bill that failed last year would have granted legal residency to illegal immigrants who enlist in the U.S. military. The immigrants could eventaully earn citizenship.

Though the bill was killed, several U.S. senators have pledged to revive the much-talked about DREAM Act, which includes the provision granting status to illegal immigrants in the military.