I can’t tell if there’s something more to this story and we’re being lied to, or if there’s something really nefarious going on here.
You be the judge:
Does that sound legit?
More from the Associated Press:
Some immigrant U.S. Army reservists and recruits who enlisted in the military with a promised path to citizenship are being abruptly discharged, the Associated Press has learned.
The AP was unable to quantify how many men and women who enlisted through the special recruitment program have been booted from the Army, but immigration attorneys say they know of more than 40 who have been discharged or whose status has become questionable, jeopardizing their futures.
“It was my dream to serve in the military,” said reservist Lucas Calixto, a Brazilian immigrant who filed a lawsuit against the Army last week. “Since this country has been so good to me, I thought it was the least I could do to give back to my adopted country and serve in the United States military.”
Some of the service members say they were not told why they were being discharged. Others who pressed for answers said the Army informed them they’d been labeled as security risks because they have relatives abroad or because the Defense Department had not completed background checks on them.
Spokespeople for the Pentagon and the Army said that, due to the pending litigation, they were unable to explain the discharges or respond to questions about whether there have been policy changes in any of the military branches.
This is very weird. And it’s hard to know what the true motivation is. If they are just wanting to get rid of immigrants they can easily say it’s because of security issues. On the other hand, maybe there really are security issues. I honestly don’t know what to think…
UPDATE: Here’s more from the Army Times:
Eligible recruits are required to have legal status in the U.S., such as a student visa, before enlisting. More than 5,000 immigrants were recruited into the program in 2016, and an estimated 10,000 are currently serving. Most go the Army, but some also go to the other military branches.
To become citizens, the service members need an honorable service designation, which can come after even just a few days at boot camp. But the recently discharged service members have had their basic training delayed, so they can’t be naturalized.
Some in the comments are upset we posted this story – we can’t ignore things just because they don’t fit into our political agenda. That’s what the left does. How about you help find out what’s really going on here, instead of complaining with your hot takes?
UPDATE: We were RIGHT to be skeptical! Check it out here.