COUNTERING MILITARY RECRUITMENT
Articles: Military Recruiting: Youth of Color
Military service a fast track to the American dream
Dogen Hannah, CONTRA COSTA TIMES
May. 21, 2006
One fled his war-torn African homeland to join his mother in New York City.Another dashed across the border after leaving her Mexican hometown to
join her father in California.
A young man crossed the Pacific, leaving Burma in search of a better
education and job.
Despite their far-flung origins, the lives and dreams of Agyeman Danso,
Vanessa Quintero-Espinoza and Kevin Phone converged when they came to
the United States, joined the military and became citizens.
As troops fight in Iraq and as America debates whether to tighten or loosen
immigration controls, tens of thousands of immigrants -- not all of them
legal -- are following a time-honored road to citizenship by serving in
the armed forces.
"Immigrants have served in the military since the dawn of the Republic as
a means of becoming part of our society sooner," said professor Margaret
Stock, an expert in military and immigration law at the U.S. military
academy at West Point, N.Y.
"It's making the ultimate sacrifice for your new community."
The prospect of swelling military ranks with foreigners, even those who
go on to become citizens, alarms some advocates of tougher immigration
rules.
"Naturalization is good; serving in the military is good," said Mark
Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies,
which supports tighter immigration controls.
"The question is: Is it a good idea to have lots of noncitizens in the
military and, maybe even more important, is it a good idea to make
military service a way of gaining immigration benefits?"
Others have proposed that the military, stretched thin by more than
four years of fighting overseas, enlist and actively recruit foreigners,
including people illegally in the United States.
"No doubt many would be willing to serve for some set period in return
for one of the world's most precious commodities -- U.S. citizenship,"
wrote Max Boot, a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, in a February
2005 Los Angeles Times article.
"Open up recruiting stations from Budapest to Bangkok, Cape Town to Cairo,
Montreal to Mexico City."
As extreme as that might sound, a U.S. military historian said there are
ample precedents for naturalizing foreigners in exchange for their wartime
service. Also, while the military generally bars illegal immigrants, a
law enacted this year gives it broader authority to enlist them, Stock said.
U.S. quickens process
With about 135,000 service members in the Iraq war and with more troops in
Afghanistan, the government has quickened the pace at which immigrants
in the military can become citizens.
At least 24,745 service members, including Californians Quintero-Espinoza,
Danso and Phone, have become naturalized citizens in the past four-plus
years. At least 3,500 citizenship applications from service members are
pending.
They are the beneficiaries of a long-standing law that allows the
president, in a time of war, to waive the usual wait to apply. President
Bush's July 3, 2002, executive order enabled active-duty military men
and women who have served after Sept. 11, 2001, to apply immediately.
"Thousands of our men and women in uniform were born in other countries and
now spend each day in honorable service to their adopted land," Bush
said at a July 4, 2002, celebration in West Virginia. "Many of them are
still waiting for the chance to become American citizens."
The opportunity to accelerate toward citizenship was at least part of what
spurred many immigrants to enlist. Among them was Airman 1st Class Gina
Valencia, 24, of Travis Air Force Base, who enlisted in 2004.
"I was going to wait five years to get citizenship, but I came into the Air
Force and actually sped it up," Valencia said. She was 6 when she came to
the United States from Peru with her mother. They stayed after entering on
a tourist visa.
Like many of her immigrant and native-born comrades in arms, Valencia also
joined the military for adventure and travel opportunities, for education
and career benefits and for patriotic reasons.
"When all the terrorist attacks happened here, I felt it was happening to
my country," said Valencia, who grew up in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. "This
is home now."
Fast track to citizenship
Civilians have to be legal permanent residents for five years to apply
for citizenship. When not at war, service members must serve at least one
year on active duty -- down from three years since 2004 -- to qualify.
Once America went to war and after Bush's executive order, the military,
Congress and Citizenship and Immigration Services began waiving service
members' application fees, fast-tracking applications and making it
easier for immigrants to become citizens even while deployed overseas.
Many were naturalized within months of applying.
"I didn't know it was going to be as easy as it was because my mom had
been trying to get her citizenship for many years (and) it was a long,
drawn-out process," said Danso, a 21-year-old Marine corporal from Ghana in
western Africa.
Danso became a citizen in May 2005, about six months after he applied.
"In order for me to make any big moves in the United States, I had to
become a citizen," said Danso, who was 8 when he came to America and
who grew up in Queens, N.Y. "It opens up a lot more doors."
Other service members became citizens even more quickly.
After enlisting in the Air Force in March 2004, Quintero-Espinoza applied
for citizenship in late January. In mid-April, the airman first class
joined 341 other soon-to-be citizens for a swearing-in at a Sacramento
theater.
"It feels good to know I'm a part of the country," said Quintero-Espinoza,
23, who was 6 when she traveled through the Southern California desert
with her mother to enter America illegally. "Nobody can kick me out of here.
My rights will be defended."
In exchange, Quintero-Espinoza and her comrades assumed responsibilities
and risks, including being sent to fight in Iraq or Afghanistan. Phone, 24,
the airman first class who came from Burma in 2002, didn't hesitate to
volunteer to serve a nation willing to help him get ahead in life.
"I would be grateful to meet somebody who offers you what you want" in
return for accepting an obligation, said Phone, who became a citizen
about two years after enlisting. "That's fair -- totally fair -- I think."
A history of service
That deal, with the promise of naturalization, has appealed to millions of
immigrants and the military throughout American history. The Army, in
particular, has sought out and relied on immigrant recruits, especially
during wars.
In the 1840s, almost half of all recruits were not U.S. citizens, said Conrad
Crane, director of the Army Military History Institute at the Army War College
in Carlisle, Penn. "They're just right off the boat, basically."
During the Civil War, the government promised citizenship to immigrants,
and recruiters sailed overseas to make the pitch. Noncitizens constituted
as much as 20 percent of the 1.5 million-man Union Army.
"Some of them were attracted, of course, by glory; some of them by a
chance for adventure," Crane said. "For a lot of them, citizenship is the
promise."
So many immigrants populated the ranks during World War I that the Army
was dubbed the "American foreign legion" in Europe. After the war, an Army
unit of 14 nationalities toured the United States to recruit immigrants,
touting the promise of naturalization.
Many immigrants fought in World War II, but patriotism more than
citizenship drove enlistment, Crane said. Conscription also helped fill
the ranks and continued to do so until the all-volunteer military returned
in the 1970s.
Military resource
Given that history, Bush's executive order fast-tracking citizenship was
no surprise, Crane said. With the Iraq war in its fourth year and military
recruiters struggling, speedy naturalization can attract volunteers and
is a fitting reward.
"When times get tough to fill the Army and immigrants are available,
they're a resource," Crane said.
Despite raising enlistment bonuses and offering other new incentives, the
Army has had a tough time attracting people. It missed its target last
year by 6,600 recruits. April was its worst month effort since last summer.
The military typically accepts only U.S. citizens or legal residents.
Illegal immigrants have slipped in, in some cases with fake citizenship or
immigration documents, said Stock, the U.S. military academy professor.
As a result of Bush's order, illegal immigrants serving honorably on active
duty and meeting other requirements are eligible to apply for citizenship,
Stock said. Also, a new law gives the military the authority to enlist at
any time anyone, even an illegal immigrant, whose enlistment is deemed
"vital to the national interest."
"They could form a foreign legion right now," Stock said. "I get calls
all the time from illegal immigrants who want to join the military."
For the most part, recruiters have not targeted noncitizens, said Douglas
Smith, spokesman for the Army's recruiting command. Recruiting that
targets populations of noncitizens likely accounts for at least some of the
noncitizen recruits, he said.
California's Army National Guard recruiters do not systematically seek
noncitizens, Guard officials said. They do point out that soldiers can
get on the naturalization fast track, said spokeswoman Lt. Toni Gray.
"For us, noncitizens contribute valuable language and cultural expertise,"
Gray said. "The value of their skills, however, is often surpassed by
their sincere appreciation and commitment to our nation."
Noncitizens have been military standouts, according to a May 2005 study
by the Center for Naval Analyses, a federally funded research organization
serving the military. For instance, they are about half as likely as
their U.S.-born comrades to wash out before completing their enlistment.
The military's need for foreign-language speakers recently spurred the
Army to relax enlistment requirements, including maximum age and
English proficiency, to attract people with such native skills, reported the
Center for Naval Analyses.
Opposition
Not everyone is pleased at the prospect of increasing the number of
noncitizens in the military.
Among the critics is Krikorian, head of the group that wants stricter
immigration controls. What concerns him is the potential for the
combination of military needs and political pressure from immigration
advocates to widen the ranks and expand benefits for noncitizens.
"This is one of those feel-good issues, at least for politicians," he said.
"There's no reason that it wouldn't be tacked on to an immigration bill,
if one were to come up."
Krikorian hasn't much of an argument, says Rep. Hilda Solis, D-El Monte,
who favors expanded benefits for noncitizen soldiers. The California
congresswoman said immigrants have proved their value to the military
and have earned their benefits.
"I think he's barking up the wrong tree," Solis said.
Spc. Cristianne Silva, 29, said enlisting in the California Army National
Guard helped her complete a journey that began eight years ago, when
she left her native Brazil and illegally entered America in search of a
better life.
After cleaning houses and doing other jobs, Silva hired an immigration
lawyer and became a legal resident. She learned that her military service
could help her become a citizen after she joined the Army in 2003 and
was sent to Iraq.
"I'm still, actually, kind of shocked that I have accomplished this,"
said Silva, who was naturalized in April in Sacramento.
"After so long of dreaming, now, finally, I can say: Yes, I am a
citizen."
who was 6 when she traveled through the Southern California desert with her mother to enter America illegally. "Nobody can kick me out of here.
My rights will be defended."
In exchange, Quintero-Espinoza and her comrades assumed
responsibilities and risks, including being sent to fight in Iraq or Afghanistan. Phone,
24, the airman first class who came from Burma in 2002, didn't hesitate to
volunteer to serve a nation willing to help him get ahead in life.
"I would be grateful to meet somebody who offers you what you want" in
return for accepting an obligation, said Phone, who became a citizen
about
two years after enlisting. "That's fair -- totally fair -- I think."
A history of service
That deal, with the promise of naturalization, has appealed to millions
of
immigrants and the military throughout American history. The Army, in
particular, has sought out and relied on immigrant recruits, especially
during wars.
In the 1840s, almost half of all recruits were not U.S. citizens, said
Conrad Crane, director of the Army Military History Institute at the
Army
War College in Carlisle, Penn. "They're just right off the boat,
basically."
During the Civil War, the government promised citizenship to
immigrants,
and recruiters sailed overseas to make the pitch. Noncitizens
constituted
as much as 20 percent of the 1.5 million-man Union Army.
"Some of them were attracted, of course, by glory; some of them by a
chance
for adventure," Crane said. "For a lot of them, citizenship is the
promise."
So many immigrants populated the ranks during World War I that the Army
was
dubbed the "American foreign legion" in Europe. After the war, an Army
unit
of 14 nationalities toured the United States to recruit immigrants,
touting
the promise of naturalization.
Many immigrants fought in World War II, but patriotism more than
citizenship drove enlistment, Crane said. Conscription also helped fill
the
ranks and continued to do so until the all-volunteer military returned
in
the 1970s.
Military resource
Given that history, Bush's executive order fast-tracking citizenship
was no
surprise, Crane said. With the Iraq war in its fourth year and military
recruiters struggling, speedy naturalization can attract volunteers and
is
a fitting reward.
"When times get tough to fill the Army and immigrants are available,
they're a resource," Crane said.
Despite raising enlistment bonuses and offering other new incentives,
the
Army has had a tough time attracting people. It missed its target last
year
by 6,600 recruits. April was its worst month effort since last summer.
The military typically accepts only U.S. citizens or legal residents.
Illegal immigrants have slipped in, in some cases with fake citizenship
or
immigration documents, said Stock, the U.S. military academy professor.
As a result of Bush's order, illegal immigrants serving honorably on
active
duty and meeting other requirements are eligible to apply for
citizenship,
Stock said. Also, a new law gives the military the authority to enlist
at
any time anyone, even an illegal immigrant, whose enlistment is deemed
"vital to the national interest."
"They could form a foreign legion right now," Stock said. "I get calls
all
the time from illegal immigrants who want to join the military."
For the most part, recruiters have not targeted noncitizens, said
Douglas
Smith, spokesman for the Army's recruiting command. Recruiting that
targets
populations of noncitizens likely accounts for at least some of the
noncitizen recruits, he said.
California's Army National Guard recruiters do not systematically seek
noncitizens, Guard officials said. They do point out that soldiers can
get
on the naturalization fast track, said spokeswoman Lt. Toni Gray.
"For us, noncitizens contribute valuable language and cultural
expertise,"
Gray said. "The value of their skills, however, is often surpassed by
their
sincere appreciation and commitment to our nation."
Noncitizens have been military standouts, according to a May 2005 study
by
the Center for Naval Analyses, a federally funded research organization
serving the military. For instance, they are about half as likely as
their
U.S.-born comrades to wash out before completing their enlistment.
The military's need for foreign-language speakers recently spurred the
Army
to relax enlistment requirements, including maximum age and English
proficiency, to attract people with such native skills, reported the
Center
for Naval Analyses.
Opposition
Not everyone is pleased at the prospect of increasing the number of
noncitizens in the military.
Among the critics is Krikorian, head of the group that wants stricter
immigration controls. What concerns him is the potential for the
combination of military needs and political pressure from immigration
advocates to widen the ranks and expand benefits for noncitizens.
"This is one of those feel-good issues, at least for politicians," he
said.
"There's no reason that it wouldn't be tacked on to an immigration
bill, if
one were to come up."
Krikorian hasn't much of an argument, says Rep. Hilda Solis, D-El
Monte,
who favors expanded benefits for noncitizen soldiers. The California
congresswoman said immigrants have proved their value to the military
and
have earned their benefits.
"I think he's barking up the wrong tree," Solis said.
Spc. Cristianne Silva, 29, said enlisting in the California Army
National
Guard helped her complete a journey that began eight years ago, when
she
left her native Brazil and illegally entered America in search of a
better
life.
After cleaning houses and doing other jobs, Silva hired an immigration
lawyer and became a legal resident. She learned that her military
service
could help her become a citizen after she joined the Army in 2003 and
was
sent to Iraq.
"I'm still, actually, kind of shocked that I have accomplished this,"
said
Silva, who was naturalized in April in Sacramento.
"After so long of dreaming, now, finally, I can say: Yes, I am a
citizen."
Times staff writer Steven Harmon contributed to this story. Reach Dogen
Hannah at 925-945-4794 or dhannah@cctimes.com.
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