With Army Secretary Pete Geren announcing that the Army’s expansion from 482,000 to 547,000 troops should be completed in four rather than five years to alleviate the strain on troops from frequent combat tours, the offering of enticements has reached new heights. A friend of mine sent me this article about the aggressive recruitment tactics used on Latino immigrants. Pressure on recruiters, combined with their disinterest in returning to the battlefield, has prompted promises of green cards for enlistments of noncitizen soldiers and their families.
Many people, military personnel included, are not aware or chose to ignore the fact that President Bush signed an executive order on July 3, 2002 authorizing “the expedited naturalization for aliens and noncitizen nationals serving in active-duty status in the Armed Forces of the United States during the period of the war against terrorists of global reach.” This order has been codified in the National Defense Authorization Act of 2006. With regard to undocumented immigrants, the service secretaries have to find that an undocumented person’s enlistment is ‘in the vital interest’ of the US. The naturalization of undocumented immigrants in the US goes back to WWI. Expedited naturalization for soldiers’ families has not been legalized or expressed in official policy.
With expressed policies in place and an obvious anti-immigration rhetoric permeating the public discourse, why are military recruiters making such false promises to immigrant soldiers and their families? The Anti-terrorism and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005 outlines criminal penalties to the frauds perpetuated by those who employ illegal immigrants. When do you think the military and its recruiters will face prosecution under this law if ever? Have we reached a breaking point with the Iraq war and the willingness of American citizens to fight that we have to recruit foreigners to battle the war on terror for us? We already have a collection of mercenary contractors in Iraq, and many anti-immigration activists insist that we currently have adequate labor resources. What do you think?
13 responses so far ↓
1 Michaelr // Oct 2, 2007 at 11:50 pm
U.S. Military recruiters have been making false promises to future soldiers and their families since conscription began in 1775. The U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force even invalidates those promises made by the recruiters that are documented in writing, often without informing the soldier and their families they have done so, and resorting to the fine print if ever they are challenged. And in keeping with the double standards practiced so earnestly amongst individuals of color, I am sure this is even more disproportionate among Latino military recruits, and even more so amongst Latino foreign emigrant military recruits with promises of green cards. This will continue until organized public awareness and resistance says otherwise, and the ACLU pushes this into court.
Numerous WASP soldiers have challenged these enlistment agreements in court once they were forced into 2nd and 3rd tours of duty in Iraq, but the newsprint and television media rarely follows up on their cases, and FOX’s Bill O’Reilly, Ann Coulter, Rush Limbaugh, and all those other media personalities who never served in the military are often right there pointing the finger of patriotism at those individuals who challenge this. This will continue as well, as long as the network television and print media continue to violate its journalistic ethics and promote the fiction poring out of the White House.
This is still the most cost effective method of outfitting military personnel. Recruiting young adults from the bottom of American society for military service provides many of those individuals with their only opportunity to reverse their lives and obtain a higher education. Thus allowing those individuals to move up the food chain, and become more economically viable citizens. However, the Bush Administration is not interested in cost-effectiveness in financing this nation building adventure in Iraq. This 12 billion dollar a month money pit is more of a taxpayer fleecing than anything else. The White House is more interested in making fortunes for their friends. Blackwater USA personnel make 10 times the salary an American soldier makes. And Blackwater USA personnel is funded by the same source the U.S. military is. And that’s you…the American taxpayer. So the last hope of obtaining higher education for those at the bottom of society is getting bleaker by the minute. Now Third World U.S.A. can’t be that far behind.
2 O/S. // Oct 3, 2007 at 12:24 am
Weather illegal or not. I think it’s a good idea. Sure Employers expoit the cheap labor to keep cost to a minimal and profits to a maximun. I think if I was young straight from a third world country, Was told here are your options. Earn less than 20k per year washing dishes ,cars, or even less selling fruit on the off ramps of the interstate and never get anywhere. Or you can serve your new country. Earn between 35k to 40k your first year and earn gradual raises, Instill dicipline and leadership, Be fed and clothed everyday, have free medical insurance, free housing,Learn a trade to join the work force later, Be given the option of a free college education, Earn the resident status and the benefits of being a millitary veteran. I think to many. It would be a no brainer. Where do I sign? A freind of mine does mortgage and we were just talking about this not long ago. How one of his client from Guatemala bought a house with money earned and saved while in the army. Became a citizen the same year he was honorably discarged from the army. Is now a helicopter mechanic for a private Co that services commercial aircraft. Thats one less latino that is feeding the stereotype. So Illegal or not. It offers benefits and education these people might of never of had access to in their entire lives.. Mexicans who were born here do not and cannot fathom what stuggles immigrants go through just to get here. you can see all the documentaries and hear stories, but until your there you wont trully understand the stuggle and motivation behing the drive. You guys are spoiled brats. Immigrants do not realize that its nearly imposible to make it without any sort of education when they arrive here. Yet they still have self respect to go out and earn a dollar rather than resort to begging. I lucked out. I was brought into this country young enough to go to high school. Master the language and earn a scholarship to a well known University and graduate.
3 Michaelr // Oct 3, 2007 at 1:39 am
35-40K your first year…which nation’s military are you talking about?
4 XP // Oct 3, 2007 at 2:04 am
And yet the DREAM Act gets pushed with help further increase those numbers. Michael I am glad you asked that question. I had found this article on MSN when I was given the same military meme.
Does military service still pay?
Your chances of success using today’s military as an economic springboard depend on three things:
What you want: Are you looking for a career? A way to pay for school? Skills can use as a civilian?
What you bring to the table: How willing are you to risk your life? Do you have any particular skill the military needs?
The deal you cut when signing up.
The military is stingy with cash. Most recruits enter at one of the lower pay grades and make only around $1,200 to $1,400 a month ($14,400 to $16,800 a year). So, if you’re talking strictly money in the pocket, soldiers, sailors and airmen can’t keep up with civilians.
Someone who entered the military at 19 and served eight years typically will have reached the E-5 pay grade, with pay that ranges from $29,000 to $32,000 a year. That’s comparable to the average pay of a civilian 27-year-old, according to Census Bureau data.
Civilian jobs pay out about 67% in cash and the rest in benefits; the military pays just 49% in cash — most of your compensation is in benefits. So, while you’ll be grateful when you’re 40 that you had the GI Bill while your colleague in the next cubicle is paying off a $30,000 student loan, while you’re in active duty, you’ll be out of luck if you want to, oh, pay the baby sitter or buy a house — the kinds of things your civilian friends are doing.
5 barista // Oct 3, 2007 at 4:53 am
Well, it makes sense to me. We do all of the dirty work most U.S. citizens don’t want to do, like picking strawberries, working at car washes, and now fighting wars. It’s just the natural progression of things..
6 Michaelr // Oct 3, 2007 at 4:52 pm
Natural progression? Are you content with limited opportunities based exclusively on your ethnicity?
7 barista // Oct 4, 2007 at 4:43 am
No Michaelr. But I’m content with being sarcastic. Maybe next time I’ll put a liittle sarcastic face for those of you who can’t read between the lines. And I guess that now I’m to assume that my opportunities are limited based exclusively on my ethnicity.. (This is where I plug in my sarcastic face).
8 PMG! // Oct 4, 2007 at 5:36 am
Ah! The DREAM Act…. nothing has filled more more with hope, or has brought me to tears more than the DREAM Act. It still stumbles… but still has a pulse…
http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_7025210?source=rss
–Dommy!
9 Michaelr // Oct 4, 2007 at 6:16 pm
Barista: I apologize not being as intelligent as you are, and not having the inventiveness and fortitude to be able to read between your lines. Sarcasm has a dialogue all its own, but I guess your sarcasm has a stealth quality to it. For those of us without the mental capacities to decipher your own unique brand of sarcasm, please install your sarcasm face before and after every sarcastic sentence. That way, we can appreciate your blog entries for what they are. Thank you.
10 barista // Oct 5, 2007 at 4:10 am
You don’t have to appologize Michaelr. Maybe you were the only one who didn’t see it. Have a good night.
11 Frank // Oct 11, 2007 at 8:17 am
Personally, I don’t think that the military should enlist illegal aliens in their ranks and certainly the government shouldn’t make promises to them it has no intention of keeping. That isn’t fair either.
If one is going to defend our country, they should have a vested interest and a history which includes citizenship in our country. Too many “immigrant’s” loyalties lies with their home countries and even though we may not be at war with them, divided loyalties isn’t desirable in our military.
12 Michaelr // Oct 16, 2007 at 5:22 pm
Hey Frank: how many illegal aliens do you actually converse with? Or are these assumptions you make wholly based on FOX news? Do you think a man or woman, who is desperate enough to illegally cross the border, so they can earn money for their families, is loyal to that same country that can’t even support them? Those illegal aliens may be ignorant and uneducated, but they know who butters their bread. And still you urinate all over them. Is this what Jesus Christ would do? Since when is fair equally distributed amongst the masses? Right now, those same illegal aliens you piss on are picking your fruits and vegetables, so you don’t have to pay six dollars for an apple at the grocery store. Right now these same illegal aliens are cleaning your houses and raising your children, so you can work sixty hours a week and give away 1/3 of your hard earned tax dollars to Halliburton, Blackwater, and the oil industry. And right now these same illegal aliens are dying for you in Iraq, so you don’t have go over there and step on a landmine for Dick Cheney and George W. Bush’s 401K plans. Sell your racial bigotry somewhere else Frank. Let’s hear some humanity coming from your soul!
13 Frank // Oct 17, 2007 at 6:39 pm
I know “of ” some and their loyalty is to Mexico. It was evidenced by the marches of May, 2006 too. Go to any rallies and everything is Viva Mexico. There is so much evidence of it out there, I am surprised you would even ask. Actually there is evidence out their that some Mexican-American citizens feel the same way.
That is what really puzzles most Americans. Why when America has provided so much for them, would they feel that way. I think we are mostly a cash cow for them.
Urinate on them? WTH are you talking about? I wouldn’t urinate on anyone, including Charles Manson. You sure like to make assumptions about people you don’t even know, don’t you? Or is it only those who oppose illegal immigration that you like to insult?
I didn’t ask them to pick my fruit, clean my house or anything else. They have no right to be working in this country. I’ll gladly pay six bucks for an apple to return to a nation of laws and secure our borders from terrorists (not calling those who look for work terrorists either).
So it is racism and bigotry to want our immigration laws enforced and our borders secured? How so? I have nothing against legal immgrants no matter what their ethnicity is. So how am I a bigot?
I’ll tell you what is racist though. Those who advocate the breaking of our immigration laws just because the illegals are ethnically like themselves. Ring a bell?
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